I was googling training for running multiple marathons today, and came across this post: How To Run Back to Back Marathons and I really think I'll need it! I've been on a bit of a roll and ever since I heard about the inaugural Rock and Roll Liverpool Marathon, and managed to enter three marathons in under two months - April and May 2014. Brighton on the 6th April, Liverpool on the 25th May and Kent on 31st May! And I'm still not sure about the Milton Keynes Marathon which I was planning to do, as maybe 3 is too much. Maybe I'll just wait to see if a London Marathon rejection mag comes through the door (VLM is the week after Brighton), just to ensure I don't go TOO crazy.
So I need to train for multiple marathons in a short space of time, since Liverpool and Kent are only 6 days apart. Not even a full week to recover! Needless to say i am not bothered about, or aiming for, any PBs here. I will probably have to crawl round the 17 laps of the Kent racecourse, just because I want the biggest race medal in Europe. And Liverpool will just be an excuse for a 26 mile long rock concert! I'll try and plan my training so that I do a few weeks with two long runs close together.
I'd much rather set myself the goal of running a certain amount of marathons in a certain time, and 10 before I hit 30 seems achievable. Maybe after that I will upgrade to 40 before 40, like this lady. That would be mega. I've done 3 already, and have Berlin and Eden planned for 2013 - half way there already. Then 3 planned for next spring, so just need to fit in 2 more before January 2015. I am thinking a holiday - Dubai (January 15) or Toronto (October 14) marathon perhaps!
I also made the mistake of not checking when the final spring marathon was when it came to signing up for next year's triathlons and half's. Somehow I have managed to arrange it so that in 3 consecutive weekends, I've got the Liverpool Marathon, Kent Marathon and then the Blenheim Palace sprint triathlon - then NEXT DAY, the St Albans half marathon. Eeeek, not clever! I could just about do a sprint tri following the marathons, or the HM following the tri if I am not bothered about a decent time, but all four is going to be interesting. I couldn't have missed Blenheim, but I should have signed up for the 5k instead of the HM. If worst comes to the worst I'll just have to see if I can swap to the 5k or walk most of the HM and hope I finish inside the time limit!
Also put my name down for the Rock and Roll Edinburgh Half Marathon - but this is well out of the way at the end of June and I'll try not to let there be any other marathons or long races around the same time...
EDIT: At least I haven't made this mistake of sighing up for 2 races in the same day (well I did, but they took place at the same time, 100 miles apart so impossible to do both!
Friday 30 August 2013
Thursday 29 August 2013
6am and finally a decent run
Actually managed a half decent run this morning, despite it being at 6am before work, and after a poor night's sleep. It was a good morning, clear and much cooler but it didn't get light until about 5.30am so the days are a lot shorter now. Gone are the days of it being light by 4am (I am remembering the early start for London to Brighton!).
Wore a tee-shirt instead of a vest for the first time since April (except for the Olympic Park Run, where the shirt they gave you was obligatory) and it was a nice change. Bit of a bad start though as I filled my hydration backpack with water and somehow it managed to overfill suddenly and get water everywhere! The backpack stayed wet the whole time - at least it cooled me down.
The 8 mile run went fairly well for once - i.e. most of the run was well under 12 min miles. There was even a mile at 10.59!! Ok so back in March I was doing 8 miles in under 10 min miles so this was nowhere near a PB, but at least it's a start. 10.30 seems to be my fastest pace at the moment but I can only sustain that for about a 5k.
Think the "ping" moment came this morning when I realised that nearly all of this year I had managed to get back into a "lazy" gait of running - striking with my heels, head down and not using my arms. So this morning I tried concentrating on striking with the mid-foot, head up more and using the arms. Looks like it made a bit of a difference as the pace did improve other course of the run, even in the later miles!
Bit knackered by the time I got to work though, my legs felt really stiff all day. Went for a short walk at lunch to stretch my legs as the weather has been quite nice this afternoon. I've got swimming tonight too, an hour's session and first session back since holiday - not sure if I'll survive it!
On another note, looks like it's the end of the cycling time trial season now as the nights are drawing in. PB for the 10 mile course was 35.24. Last night's was a bit slower, 37.53 (I blame having come back from holiday!).
I also entered a few races for next year - the Blenheim Palace triathlon and the St Albans half marathon.
Wore a tee-shirt instead of a vest for the first time since April (except for the Olympic Park Run, where the shirt they gave you was obligatory) and it was a nice change. Bit of a bad start though as I filled my hydration backpack with water and somehow it managed to overfill suddenly and get water everywhere! The backpack stayed wet the whole time - at least it cooled me down.
The 8 mile run went fairly well for once - i.e. most of the run was well under 12 min miles. There was even a mile at 10.59!! Ok so back in March I was doing 8 miles in under 10 min miles so this was nowhere near a PB, but at least it's a start. 10.30 seems to be my fastest pace at the moment but I can only sustain that for about a 5k.
Think the "ping" moment came this morning when I realised that nearly all of this year I had managed to get back into a "lazy" gait of running - striking with my heels, head down and not using my arms. So this morning I tried concentrating on striking with the mid-foot, head up more and using the arms. Looks like it made a bit of a difference as the pace did improve other course of the run, even in the later miles!
Bit knackered by the time I got to work though, my legs felt really stiff all day. Went for a short walk at lunch to stretch my legs as the weather has been quite nice this afternoon. I've got swimming tonight too, an hour's session and first session back since holiday - not sure if I'll survive it!
On another note, looks like it's the end of the cycling time trial season now as the nights are drawing in. PB for the 10 mile course was 35.24. Last night's was a bit slower, 37.53 (I blame having come back from holiday!).
I also entered a few races for next year - the Blenheim Palace triathlon and the St Albans half marathon.
Wednesday 28 August 2013
Signing up for Rock and Roll Liverpool
I was excited to see that the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon series have added a new UK race to their "tour" - this time in Liverpool! After a great RnR half marathon in Dublin, I'm definitely going to be entering this! Live music, party atmosphere, and a really blingy medal. I haven't decided yet whether it will be the full or the half marathon, (probably the full) but I'll certainly be there.
Anyone up for it with me?
I also plan do so RnR Edinburgh and Dublin again in 2014, so I will get to earn the special "World Rocker" medal.
Trying to run on holiday - not always easy!
I've just come back from a lovely 2 week holiday with family in Norfolk. Great to be away for a while and get out of the office! The house was fantastic and we were lucky enough to have a private pool and hot tub!
But holidays in summer and autumn marathon training don't always mix! With just over a month to go til the Berlin Marathon I really need to be getting in the long run, and here I was with 2 weeks of just wanting to sit around doing nothing but sunbathing and chilling out. I think I just managed to get away with it, but only just! I did have to run, quite often too. I wouldn't want to spend 2 weeks doing very little or no running - a week perhaps if the days are relatively active (walking, swimming etc) but not two weeks. It would only be much harder to get back to it when I returned home.
So I started off by making sure I got a long run in (17 miles) the morning before I set off, and planned another long run (18 miles) 2 days after I got home. So in the meantime I could allow myself a bit of rest and just do shorter runs, maybe 3 to 7 miles, every couple of days. I also planned to make good use of the pool and would bring my bike on holiday to get some rides in. All good intentions!
The 17 miler went ok, I mixed it up a little by splitting into 3 parts, one after the other. 9 mile run to the park for Park Run, then the 5k Park Run, and finally a 5 mile run home. There was a short break between getting to the park and starting the 5k (very short break though, having realised I was late I wandered over to the start only to realise they'd already gone!!). I did stand around chatting for a few minutes afterwards though, before heading home! It was very tempting to go off to the cafe for cake and coffee!
It was a long day, that first Saturday, with the run then a 100 mile drive, but I treated myself to the hot tub when I got there. Bliss!
Throughout the holiday, I managed a 3 and a 5 mile run in the first week, and then the Norwich Park Run and a further 5k immediately afterwards (following a similar route to Park Run) on the following Saturday (did the Park Run with my sisters). Also did a few cycle rides, the longest being 16 miles (sadly I did not use my bike as much as I thought I would). In the second week I managed 4 miles, 7 miles and 5 miles. Although the area was very lovely and had some great views, the roads weren't amazing for running as they were narrow country lanes with no footpath. Luckily they were quiet though, but I didn't want to wear earphones so i could hear the cars. I got round this though by putting my iPhone on loudspeaker so i could still get a bit of music and still full awareness. I got the feeling the drivers weren't used to runners on the roads though!
Did a bit of swimming too, as the pool had a jet that you could swim against. It only stayed on for 10 minutes at a time though, and then shut off for 20 minutes, so could only do short bursts of swimming. It was fun to just mess about in the pool though like in the old days!
Unfortunately I had to abandon what turned out to be a truly horrendous swim/run workout! The swim was fine - 10 minutes followed by a quick transition into running gear and a 3k run. I had barely done 1km and was already feeling very light-headed and was getting bad stomach cramps, so I had to stop and finish it early. Really annoyed as I have never cut a run short before (slowed and walked, yes, but not cut short). Turns out I DO need to eat a light breakfast before going for a run!
The rest of the holiday we did plenty of things such as day trips to the beach, local attractions, theme parks and trips to some of the cities such as Great Yarmouth and Norwich. It was so nice to be away from it all! Ah well I'm back now, and I guess the routine will make it easier to stick with the training plan. On Sunday I did 18.6 miles and next weekend I've have a crack at 20. My times are still slow, nearly a minute slower per mile than I was doing last year, which is quite frustrating. I'm wondering if I've not allowed myself enough time to recover after London and Prague, before going into the triathlons. But over the summer I was doing a lot of cycling and swimming, and less running, so I'm just a bit confused. I have looked at loads of websites and running forums and there's a lot of conflicting information out there! Maybe I am not doing enough short, fast runs! I know I could have done more interval or hill training, but a) I didn't do this for Loch Ness yet achieved my PB, and b) I'd have to replace one of other running sessions or a cycling session.
Ah well, that could probably be a post of it's own but it probably won't make for very exciting reading (or writing) so I'll head off now and send my wishes to anyone else who is still on holiday or is taking a September break, happy a lovely time and happy days!
PS - will try and upload some holiday snaps so you can see our lovely pool and the views from the running routes.
But holidays in summer and autumn marathon training don't always mix! With just over a month to go til the Berlin Marathon I really need to be getting in the long run, and here I was with 2 weeks of just wanting to sit around doing nothing but sunbathing and chilling out. I think I just managed to get away with it, but only just! I did have to run, quite often too. I wouldn't want to spend 2 weeks doing very little or no running - a week perhaps if the days are relatively active (walking, swimming etc) but not two weeks. It would only be much harder to get back to it when I returned home.
So I started off by making sure I got a long run in (17 miles) the morning before I set off, and planned another long run (18 miles) 2 days after I got home. So in the meantime I could allow myself a bit of rest and just do shorter runs, maybe 3 to 7 miles, every couple of days. I also planned to make good use of the pool and would bring my bike on holiday to get some rides in. All good intentions!
The 17 miler went ok, I mixed it up a little by splitting into 3 parts, one after the other. 9 mile run to the park for Park Run, then the 5k Park Run, and finally a 5 mile run home. There was a short break between getting to the park and starting the 5k (very short break though, having realised I was late I wandered over to the start only to realise they'd already gone!!). I did stand around chatting for a few minutes afterwards though, before heading home! It was very tempting to go off to the cafe for cake and coffee!
It was a long day, that first Saturday, with the run then a 100 mile drive, but I treated myself to the hot tub when I got there. Bliss!
Throughout the holiday, I managed a 3 and a 5 mile run in the first week, and then the Norwich Park Run and a further 5k immediately afterwards (following a similar route to Park Run) on the following Saturday (did the Park Run with my sisters). Also did a few cycle rides, the longest being 16 miles (sadly I did not use my bike as much as I thought I would). In the second week I managed 4 miles, 7 miles and 5 miles. Although the area was very lovely and had some great views, the roads weren't amazing for running as they were narrow country lanes with no footpath. Luckily they were quiet though, but I didn't want to wear earphones so i could hear the cars. I got round this though by putting my iPhone on loudspeaker so i could still get a bit of music and still full awareness. I got the feeling the drivers weren't used to runners on the roads though!
Did a bit of swimming too, as the pool had a jet that you could swim against. It only stayed on for 10 minutes at a time though, and then shut off for 20 minutes, so could only do short bursts of swimming. It was fun to just mess about in the pool though like in the old days!
Unfortunately I had to abandon what turned out to be a truly horrendous swim/run workout! The swim was fine - 10 minutes followed by a quick transition into running gear and a 3k run. I had barely done 1km and was already feeling very light-headed and was getting bad stomach cramps, so I had to stop and finish it early. Really annoyed as I have never cut a run short before (slowed and walked, yes, but not cut short). Turns out I DO need to eat a light breakfast before going for a run!
The rest of the holiday we did plenty of things such as day trips to the beach, local attractions, theme parks and trips to some of the cities such as Great Yarmouth and Norwich. It was so nice to be away from it all! Ah well I'm back now, and I guess the routine will make it easier to stick with the training plan. On Sunday I did 18.6 miles and next weekend I've have a crack at 20. My times are still slow, nearly a minute slower per mile than I was doing last year, which is quite frustrating. I'm wondering if I've not allowed myself enough time to recover after London and Prague, before going into the triathlons. But over the summer I was doing a lot of cycling and swimming, and less running, so I'm just a bit confused. I have looked at loads of websites and running forums and there's a lot of conflicting information out there! Maybe I am not doing enough short, fast runs! I know I could have done more interval or hill training, but a) I didn't do this for Loch Ness yet achieved my PB, and b) I'd have to replace one of other running sessions or a cycling session.
Ah well, that could probably be a post of it's own but it probably won't make for very exciting reading (or writing) so I'll head off now and send my wishes to anyone else who is still on holiday or is taking a September break, happy a lovely time and happy days!
PS - will try and upload some holiday snaps so you can see our lovely pool and the views from the running routes.
Friday 9 August 2013
Races I've entered this week
So now's the time to start planning the shorter races for the autumn running season and think about what's coming up next spring. My credit card has taken a bit of a hit - not just entry fees but train tickets up to Newcastle and down to Cornwall! I'll be doing a few of the same races I did last year - which is great as i know what to expect, and a few new ones. Plus I'm looking into my first marshaling/volunteering role at the Royal Parks Half Marathon in October.
Coming up:
Herts 10k
Popular local 10k that I did last year. Good points are it's well timed - 2 weeks after the Berlin Marathon so if I have recovered slightly I may be onto a good time. I got a good PB there last year, so the pressure's on! Just hope it's not too muddy this time! They give you a free tee-shirt to run in on the day which most people do, but sadly it's cotton so I will be avoiding it. Sorry, I'd rather look out of place than run in cotton.
Stevenage Half Marathon
My current PB for the half. Last year ran though wet, windy and rain, and fell over in the mud too at mile 8! Considering it's Stevenage, they do a decent job of making the route as nice as possible, the route of a 2 lap course and about half of it is attractive parkland. I don't think it'll be a PB this year though, in fact now even sure I should be running half's at all around this point as it is very close to the Eden Project Marathon and the Great South Run.
Norwich Half Marathon
I was disappointed with my time of 2.16 last year because it was slower than Stevenage and Run To The Beat! Crazy - I'd love to get that time nowadays! I haven't got under 2.20 this year ;O( Norwich is an alright course, but doesn't go through the city itself and there is one very muddy field you have to do 3 times (it's frustrating weaving around the showground when you are sooo close to the finish line!), plus a bit of a drive but if I can I will stay over at my brother's who is based there. 2 lap course, and a very funky medal. I remember last year it was very windy and bitterly cold!
Polar Nights Half Marathon
Really nervous, but also very excited about this! Held in Tromso, Norway, it's well within the Arctic Circle in the very north of Norway. It's going to be very cold and dark as it's held in January, but is a popular race with many people coming from overseas to have a chance of running an organised race in the arctic. The medal is gorgeous too. Plus, the Northern Lights may pay us a visit! It's been my dream to visit Tromso for years so combining this with a half marathon will be incredible. I just need to save up for the flights, expensive hotel and living costs out there, it's not cheap!
Kent Road Runner Marathon
As mentioned in a previous post, I became interested in this race purely for the medal. It's simply huge! It's at the end of May so just under 2 months after Brighton, and 4 weeks after the MK Marathon should I put my name in for that too. There's the advantage of being able to set up your own personal drinks station every lap which is handy as no need to carry a water bottle and all the gels the whole time. Downside? 17 identical laps of the racetrack... Still, only one way to earn that massive chunk of bling!
They're also be a couple more 10k runs in November and no doubt a santa run or two in December, plus I'll easy back on the long runs which means I could focus on faster Park Runs. It's impossible for me to train for both faster 5k's and keep up the marathon-fitness level!
I'm keeping an eye out for well-timed races for next spring as part of the spring marathon training. Last year I did the Watford Half, Brighton Half, Bath Half, New Forest 20 and Reading Half but that may have been too many half's when I should have been focusing on long, slow runs of at least 16 miles. This year I'll do the Brighton Half, Bath Half and possibly the Surrey Spitfire 20, plus Reading if I can. New Forest was tough but rewarding, but is too close to the Brighton Marathon next year. The Surrey Spitfire meanwhile is perfectly placed just 3 weeks before Brighton, so time to taper afterwards. After Kent I will ease back on the marathons but am open to doing one or two long trail walks/jogs over the summer which are easier on the muscles and no pressure to get a good time.
Coming up:
Herts 10k
Popular local 10k that I did last year. Good points are it's well timed - 2 weeks after the Berlin Marathon so if I have recovered slightly I may be onto a good time. I got a good PB there last year, so the pressure's on! Just hope it's not too muddy this time! They give you a free tee-shirt to run in on the day which most people do, but sadly it's cotton so I will be avoiding it. Sorry, I'd rather look out of place than run in cotton.
Stevenage Half Marathon
My current PB for the half. Last year ran though wet, windy and rain, and fell over in the mud too at mile 8! Considering it's Stevenage, they do a decent job of making the route as nice as possible, the route of a 2 lap course and about half of it is attractive parkland. I don't think it'll be a PB this year though, in fact now even sure I should be running half's at all around this point as it is very close to the Eden Project Marathon and the Great South Run.
Norwich Half Marathon
I was disappointed with my time of 2.16 last year because it was slower than Stevenage and Run To The Beat! Crazy - I'd love to get that time nowadays! I haven't got under 2.20 this year ;O( Norwich is an alright course, but doesn't go through the city itself and there is one very muddy field you have to do 3 times (it's frustrating weaving around the showground when you are sooo close to the finish line!), plus a bit of a drive but if I can I will stay over at my brother's who is based there. 2 lap course, and a very funky medal. I remember last year it was very windy and bitterly cold!
Polar Nights Half Marathon
Really nervous, but also very excited about this! Held in Tromso, Norway, it's well within the Arctic Circle in the very north of Norway. It's going to be very cold and dark as it's held in January, but is a popular race with many people coming from overseas to have a chance of running an organised race in the arctic. The medal is gorgeous too. Plus, the Northern Lights may pay us a visit! It's been my dream to visit Tromso for years so combining this with a half marathon will be incredible. I just need to save up for the flights, expensive hotel and living costs out there, it's not cheap!
Kent Road Runner Marathon
As mentioned in a previous post, I became interested in this race purely for the medal. It's simply huge! It's at the end of May so just under 2 months after Brighton, and 4 weeks after the MK Marathon should I put my name in for that too. There's the advantage of being able to set up your own personal drinks station every lap which is handy as no need to carry a water bottle and all the gels the whole time. Downside? 17 identical laps of the racetrack... Still, only one way to earn that massive chunk of bling!
They're also be a couple more 10k runs in November and no doubt a santa run or two in December, plus I'll easy back on the long runs which means I could focus on faster Park Runs. It's impossible for me to train for both faster 5k's and keep up the marathon-fitness level!
I'm keeping an eye out for well-timed races for next spring as part of the spring marathon training. Last year I did the Watford Half, Brighton Half, Bath Half, New Forest 20 and Reading Half but that may have been too many half's when I should have been focusing on long, slow runs of at least 16 miles. This year I'll do the Brighton Half, Bath Half and possibly the Surrey Spitfire 20, plus Reading if I can. New Forest was tough but rewarding, but is too close to the Brighton Marathon next year. The Surrey Spitfire meanwhile is perfectly placed just 3 weeks before Brighton, so time to taper afterwards. After Kent I will ease back on the marathons but am open to doing one or two long trail walks/jogs over the summer which are easier on the muscles and no pressure to get a good time.
Wednesday 7 August 2013
Park Run
So since last year I've been going on and off to the local Park Run. It's fantastic concept and I love the idea of of it, plus plenty of mates swear by it to get you into running! I love the mixture of fast runners, club, those training for races, and it's perfect for anyone just getting into running or after some time off.
St Albans Park Run is getting more and more popular, and since I don't go enough it seems to have grown each time I go. I'm trying to go a lot more now as i have only been 8 times. I tend to only go whilst non marathon training, as otherwise I have to do my long run sometime at the weekend so a 5k run would either not be far enough, or i'd have to run on the Sunday morning as well (which i may not have the time or inclination to do, and i miss church to often due to races so I prefer not do a training run on a Sunday unless I have to).
A few times i have combined Park Run with a training run and this has worked well. In March I did Park Run with my brother Chris and sisters Becky and Jess, as Chris was back home for Easter. Plan was to do the 5k and then immediately carry on for a further 15 or so miles til I had banked the required 18 I was due to run that weekend. To save time I ran with my gel belt on which looked a bit over the top for a 5k - but they were much needed later on! I even bought 2 bottles - a small one to drink before and during park run and then a larger one for the rest of the run that would be totally full for the 2nd part of the running day. At the end Chris took my barcode and queued up for both our times, and off I went.
Last week i did something similar, but i ran before Park Run and then a shorter way home. It was 9.3 miles beforehand, then the 5k and 4 miles home = 16.4 miles. There were longer breaks of 10-15 minutes between each run though. I will probably do something similar this weekend, as long as I can time the first long run so i get to the lake as close to 9am as possible! It makes a big difference knowing that you'll soon get to run with a big group, and the middle 5k goes by really quickly. The run home is tough though as the legs have had a chance to seize up, so unfortunately can't take full advantage of the social scene and go for cake straight after park run!
5k PB stands at Park Run at just over 26 mins too, one cold winters day last December following Chris's pace! Sadly times are nowhere near that at the moment, with a regular decent 5k being around 30 mins, and when combined with a long run it's more like 35 minutes!
Also a good excuse for showing off your latest race finisher's tee-shirts :)
St Albans Park Run is getting more and more popular, and since I don't go enough it seems to have grown each time I go. I'm trying to go a lot more now as i have only been 8 times. I tend to only go whilst non marathon training, as otherwise I have to do my long run sometime at the weekend so a 5k run would either not be far enough, or i'd have to run on the Sunday morning as well (which i may not have the time or inclination to do, and i miss church to often due to races so I prefer not do a training run on a Sunday unless I have to).
A few times i have combined Park Run with a training run and this has worked well. In March I did Park Run with my brother Chris and sisters Becky and Jess, as Chris was back home for Easter. Plan was to do the 5k and then immediately carry on for a further 15 or so miles til I had banked the required 18 I was due to run that weekend. To save time I ran with my gel belt on which looked a bit over the top for a 5k - but they were much needed later on! I even bought 2 bottles - a small one to drink before and during park run and then a larger one for the rest of the run that would be totally full for the 2nd part of the running day. At the end Chris took my barcode and queued up for both our times, and off I went.
Last week i did something similar, but i ran before Park Run and then a shorter way home. It was 9.3 miles beforehand, then the 5k and 4 miles home = 16.4 miles. There were longer breaks of 10-15 minutes between each run though. I will probably do something similar this weekend, as long as I can time the first long run so i get to the lake as close to 9am as possible! It makes a big difference knowing that you'll soon get to run with a big group, and the middle 5k goes by really quickly. The run home is tough though as the legs have had a chance to seize up, so unfortunately can't take full advantage of the social scene and go for cake straight after park run!
5k PB stands at Park Run at just over 26 mins too, one cold winters day last December following Chris's pace! Sadly times are nowhere near that at the moment, with a regular decent 5k being around 30 mins, and when combined with a long run it's more like 35 minutes!
Also a good excuse for showing off your latest race finisher's tee-shirts :)
Tuesday 6 August 2013
Medal Photos, part 1
I notice that my post about race bling and goody bags got more hits than most of them, so thought I'd dedicate a few posts purely to show off the medals themselves! At some point I have to move them all about as my dad has kindly agreed to drill a few holes into the wall and put up another medal hangar, so they will get to be spaced out a bit more and have some room (there's over 40 of them, packed onto 2 narrow hangars). I've taken a few pics of a few of my favourites but they'll be more to come soon when I get them all down.
Ps. The iTab is a little insert showing your name/time that you can order and it slots into a special indentation on the back on your medal - lots of races offer this now.
When you're within a mile or two of the finish, there's nothing like seeing people already finished with medals round their neck and knowing that there's only one way to get one of your very own!
Ps. The iTab is a little insert showing your name/time that you can order and it slots into a special indentation on the back on your medal - lots of races offer this now.
When you're within a mile or two of the finish, there's nothing like seeing people already finished with medals round their neck and knowing that there's only one way to get one of your very own!
London Marathon 2013: Anyone who's a runner should recognise this one immediately! One of my favourites as it's a stunner but also because how lucky I am to have one of my very own.
Loch Ness Marathon 2012: My other favourite medal - it was my first marathon so very special to me. Large, nice details and a thick, glossy lanyard. The logo is a shoe lace that looks like the Loch Ness Monster, and the "T" and part of the "A" of "marathon" is a runner crossing the finish line. Very proud of this one! The back is also bevelled and you can add an iTab.
Prague Marathon 2013: Good sized medal, but it's the level of detail and intricate design that I love most about this one, specially the miniature Astronomical Clock right in the middle. There are rows on the back to get your time engraved, and the back also shows the race sponsor's logos.
Blenheim Palace Triathlon 2013: Smaller, but thick and solid feeling. Nice detail showing the palace and iTab for the back.
London Triathlon 2013 and 2012. Both a good size, but they've lost some of the detail they had for 2012. Both have iTab slots (I need to order 2013's tab). 2013 has the date on the back of the medal but 2012 is on the front.
Marlow Triathlon 2013: Not a big one but a nice engraving of Marlow on it. My first olympic distance so personally very special.
Rock 'n' Roll Dublin Half Marathon 2013: A stunner! All the Rock 'n' Roll series medals are fantastic! They even do their own medal displays for those who collect some serious "Heavy Medals". This one from Dublin is very thick (thickest by far), heavy, great level of details and multiple colours without being too gaudy. The guitar shape rocks! There's a line on the back for engraving your name and time.
She Runs Windsor 10k 2013: I'm pretty sure the company behind this race are also involved with the Rock 'n' Roll marathons, so it's no surprise you get a good, thick, glittery bit of bling for this women only 10k. Takes a THREE line iTab (most take two - so for this one I chose to add my name, race number and finish time since the medal already shows the distance and date).
NSPCC Milton Keynes Half Marathon 2013: Lovely gold, shiny medal. Couldn't get a great photo of it but it's a very pretty medal and the touch of green round the edge helps it stand out even beside the Rock n Roll medals. The 2012 has the same medallion, although the lanyard has only black text whilst 2013 has the event name and sponsors in different colours. Both years offered engraving on the day by a local smith.
BUPA London 10,000 2013: This was a real change from the previous years' medals, with a much more detailed and traditional style showing runners in front of Admiralty Arch. The lanyard is thinner than 2012, but overall it's much nicer (and 2012 wasn't bad by any means!). There's a space on the back to engrave your time.
Bath Half 2013: Quite small but nice, classic design. Some event reviewers say they expected more from a medal considering the cost of the entry to this race, but I don't agree - it's not tacky by any means and looks good on the wall. This is actually the back (you can tell from where the lanyard is sewn together) but I think it looks better than the front. As you can see, there's a slot for the iTab.
Brighton Half Marathon 2013: Big and loud! A great, flashy medal with an iTab slot on the back.
Norwich Half Marathon 2012: A modern, trendy design - I like this one as it's an unusual design and a great colour (it's even more purple than this without the camera flash). Shame the back is totally plain, but you could get it engraved.
Rock 'n' Roll Dublin Half Marathon
EDIT - more photos added below
It was back to Dublin for the second time this year, for the Rock 'n' Roll Dublin Half Marathon on Monday 5th August. It's a fun race, with a difference - real party atmosphere, as there are 13 bands along the course, one every mile, and more music once you've finished! It was it's inaugural event, but the company behind it has been running races like this in the USA since the 90's are are well established, so I was looking forward to good organisation and great day - I wasn't disappointed!
I had a dilemma though - 13.1 miles was too short for training plan. With the marathon coming up and a 2 week holiday round the corner I really needed to get at least 16 miles in the bank. So took a bit of a chance and went for the following:
Saturday 3rd - 16.5 miles split into 3 parts: 9.4 mile run ending up at the lake for Park Run. Short 5-10 minute break then 3.1 mile Park Run. Another short break then run home 4 miles.
The first and second runs were fine, but after stopping to chat, fill up up the water backpack and get my chip time, my legs has seized up! So the last 4 miles jog home was really painful!
I tried to recover as best as i could, and spend as much time off my legs as possible, but I needed to catch my flight to Dublin. I arrived in Dublin at my hotel at around 6.30pm so took it easy and had pizza at an American themed restaurant and a couple of drinks (expensive) at the pub where I had a B&B room (there was live Irish music!) before having an early night.
Sunday I had a nice lie in then headed off to the Expo to collect my race bib and timing chip. Had a wander round the stands - compared to the VLM and London triathlon expos there wasn't much but it was great for visiting the stands of other races. I found out out about plenty of Irish marathons and half's that look tempting!! Plus they had a big stand for the Rock n Roll series getting people interested in their other European and American races! They do one in Edinburgh - I wanted to do this year's but it was the weekend before VLM so didn't want to trash my legs before that - so I'll think about signing up for next year which is a better date. Plenty in Spain, France and Portugal too. They also had some of the medals out on displays - they are awesome and i couldn't wait to receive mine for the Dublin Half!
Monday morning was an early start - left the hotel at 7.30am for the short walk to the start. Baggage and race pens were all quick and well organised - in fact I could have had an extra 20 minutes in bed as there was hardly any queuing! There was music before the elites set off just after 8.30am, with our wave about 10 minutes later. The weather was really good for running - cool and cloudy with a very light breeze. Nice change from the 30+ degrees I run in for the last 3 events!
I took the race very slowly after Saturday's 16 miles - no point in trying for good time so this was just for the craic!! - and some more easy miles in the bank whilst trying not to get injured or over do it. Still, it was a struggle to get going as my legs were still a bit sore and didn't want to play ball for a while (that could have been the long 2 mile straight uphill into Phoenix Park though!).
They felt a bit better after mile 5 - there was a great bank playing Irish folk music so we had a bit of a dance there to loosen up a bit. There was a downhill stretch after that and some sports drink too. I don't normally take the sports drink or gels unless I am familiar with them or are just plain desperate, but I was getting bored of my plain water and wanted to see what the drink was like. It was very good, orange flavour but not too strong and certainly not as sweet as lucozade which I normally have. It's by Iconiq, so will have to see if I can get these when i move back to energy drinks for the cooler weather. For gels, they gave out Powerbar gel in cherry flavour. I took one, but didn't end up having it. I'll save it for a bike or walk when it doesn't matter do much about whether I can digest it easily or not. I tend to scrounge gels when I do races and have a bit of stash at home of different brands and flavours!
Rest of the race went well - as in it was a lot of fun and my legs didn't kill me too much. So many Americans taking part! It was interesting to listen to where people were from and see the tee-shirts they wore from other races. I guess this being an US-based events company they advertise quite heavily to get people to jet set over to Europe to do their events over here (on their website there was a lot about it being "once in a life time" and tourism advice for spending a week or more in Ireland). Plenty of Brits and locals as well though!
At about 8 miles I felt quite sore and could certainly feel the effects of Saturday's 16 miles. However at 10 miles I managed to pick the pace up a bit (not sure if this was due to the up/downhill elevations - need to check the Garmin) and knocked off about 45 seconds per mile for miles 10 and 11. For the final mile I knocked off a further minute! In the end my time was 2.37.23 - which I was fine with considering all the miles from 2 days before. Faster than the Milton Keynes Half though!
Crossed the line happy and received my beautiful, heavy, shiny medal! It's a good one too - in the shape of a guitar! As I talked about in my earlier post, medals are my favourite race goodies and I not ashamed to admit signing up for the races that give out the best medals! Here it is below - it's my thickest medal by far and is excellent quality with lovely detailed engraving. Other good swag included nice Brookes technical tee-shirt (in lady fit sizes!!), and water and energy bars at the finish.
I stayed around for a while at the end to listen to the live music and recover, before heading off to the airport for my flight home.
The medal
Promo
Above - Promo pic - start line
Below - pics from my iPhone. The final pic is the Brookes tee-shirt you get with your race pack, it's pretty cool with an awesome graphic.
It was back to Dublin for the second time this year, for the Rock 'n' Roll Dublin Half Marathon on Monday 5th August. It's a fun race, with a difference - real party atmosphere, as there are 13 bands along the course, one every mile, and more music once you've finished! It was it's inaugural event, but the company behind it has been running races like this in the USA since the 90's are are well established, so I was looking forward to good organisation and great day - I wasn't disappointed!
I had a dilemma though - 13.1 miles was too short for training plan. With the marathon coming up and a 2 week holiday round the corner I really needed to get at least 16 miles in the bank. So took a bit of a chance and went for the following:
Saturday 3rd - 16.5 miles split into 3 parts: 9.4 mile run ending up at the lake for Park Run. Short 5-10 minute break then 3.1 mile Park Run. Another short break then run home 4 miles.
The first and second runs were fine, but after stopping to chat, fill up up the water backpack and get my chip time, my legs has seized up! So the last 4 miles jog home was really painful!
I tried to recover as best as i could, and spend as much time off my legs as possible, but I needed to catch my flight to Dublin. I arrived in Dublin at my hotel at around 6.30pm so took it easy and had pizza at an American themed restaurant and a couple of drinks (expensive) at the pub where I had a B&B room (there was live Irish music!) before having an early night.
Sunday I had a nice lie in then headed off to the Expo to collect my race bib and timing chip. Had a wander round the stands - compared to the VLM and London triathlon expos there wasn't much but it was great for visiting the stands of other races. I found out out about plenty of Irish marathons and half's that look tempting!! Plus they had a big stand for the Rock n Roll series getting people interested in their other European and American races! They do one in Edinburgh - I wanted to do this year's but it was the weekend before VLM so didn't want to trash my legs before that - so I'll think about signing up for next year which is a better date. Plenty in Spain, France and Portugal too. They also had some of the medals out on displays - they are awesome and i couldn't wait to receive mine for the Dublin Half!
Monday morning was an early start - left the hotel at 7.30am for the short walk to the start. Baggage and race pens were all quick and well organised - in fact I could have had an extra 20 minutes in bed as there was hardly any queuing! There was music before the elites set off just after 8.30am, with our wave about 10 minutes later. The weather was really good for running - cool and cloudy with a very light breeze. Nice change from the 30+ degrees I run in for the last 3 events!
I took the race very slowly after Saturday's 16 miles - no point in trying for good time so this was just for the craic!! - and some more easy miles in the bank whilst trying not to get injured or over do it. Still, it was a struggle to get going as my legs were still a bit sore and didn't want to play ball for a while (that could have been the long 2 mile straight uphill into Phoenix Park though!).
They felt a bit better after mile 5 - there was a great bank playing Irish folk music so we had a bit of a dance there to loosen up a bit. There was a downhill stretch after that and some sports drink too. I don't normally take the sports drink or gels unless I am familiar with them or are just plain desperate, but I was getting bored of my plain water and wanted to see what the drink was like. It was very good, orange flavour but not too strong and certainly not as sweet as lucozade which I normally have. It's by Iconiq, so will have to see if I can get these when i move back to energy drinks for the cooler weather. For gels, they gave out Powerbar gel in cherry flavour. I took one, but didn't end up having it. I'll save it for a bike or walk when it doesn't matter do much about whether I can digest it easily or not. I tend to scrounge gels when I do races and have a bit of stash at home of different brands and flavours!
Rest of the race went well - as in it was a lot of fun and my legs didn't kill me too much. So many Americans taking part! It was interesting to listen to where people were from and see the tee-shirts they wore from other races. I guess this being an US-based events company they advertise quite heavily to get people to jet set over to Europe to do their events over here (on their website there was a lot about it being "once in a life time" and tourism advice for spending a week or more in Ireland). Plenty of Brits and locals as well though!
At about 8 miles I felt quite sore and could certainly feel the effects of Saturday's 16 miles. However at 10 miles I managed to pick the pace up a bit (not sure if this was due to the up/downhill elevations - need to check the Garmin) and knocked off about 45 seconds per mile for miles 10 and 11. For the final mile I knocked off a further minute! In the end my time was 2.37.23 - which I was fine with considering all the miles from 2 days before. Faster than the Milton Keynes Half though!
Crossed the line happy and received my beautiful, heavy, shiny medal! It's a good one too - in the shape of a guitar! As I talked about in my earlier post, medals are my favourite race goodies and I not ashamed to admit signing up for the races that give out the best medals! Here it is below - it's my thickest medal by far and is excellent quality with lovely detailed engraving. Other good swag included nice Brookes technical tee-shirt (in lady fit sizes!!), and water and energy bars at the finish.
I stayed around for a while at the end to listen to the live music and recover, before heading off to the airport for my flight home.
The medal
Promo
Above - Promo pic - start line
Below - pics from my iPhone. The final pic is the Brookes tee-shirt you get with your race pack, it's pretty cool with an awesome graphic.
Friday 2 August 2013
My Marathon Wish List
Here are some marathons I am thinking about signing - or have already signed - up for the future. Anyone care to join me? Purple means I've signed up!
Berlin Marathon - coming up soon on 29th September. Why? It's famous, fast, flat, has a host of elite record breaking runners and is one of the World Marathon Majors. It filled up in about 3 hours when I signed up for it last autumn! Always wanted to visit Berlin too, so a perfect excuse to run this prestigious race. Two Majors in one year too - can't be bad.
Eden Project Marathon - this is 3 weeks after Berlin so will be much slower and more chilled out. Just as good really as the scenery in Cornwall is amazing but the area is very hilly! So it won't be easy. I reckon I'll need to walk some of those hills. Went to the Eden Project last year on holiday and saw they hosted a race - so once I found that you could take the train straight there from London Paddington I signed up.
Brighton Marathon - Beginning of April and great sea front location. It's the week before London, and whilst I'll be over the moon if I'm ultra lucky enough to get a ballot place in VLM next year, I think that's unlikely! Brighton is a great alternative, well organised has great crowds, is a nice city for sports (I've done the Brighton Half Marathon and London - Brighton cycling event) and a fantastic atmosphere. London-by-the-sea! Nice medal too. So I've signed up for it.
Milton Keynes Marathon - it's inaugural race was in 2012, and apart from the weather (freezing cold and raining one year, swelteringly hot the next), it looks like a good one to do (what of 2014? Gales?). It's quite local as well and there's no ballot to worry about, so why not! May as well make the most of another winter of marathon training and it's a month after Brighton, so enough time to recover - although just enough to get round it, I don't think I'd be aiming to beat any PBs if i do this one.
Kent Roadrunner Marathon - this one is at the end of May. It has a number of great points including the biggest medal in Europe, facilities for every runner to set up their own drinks table that you pass by each lap (no need to carry a belt full of gels or worry about whether you can stomach the energy drink, and you can pop a spare shirt there in case the weather changes), water, drink and gels every 2.5km, easy to reach by high speed train or car, cheap (£30 early bird fee!), professional photographs included in the price, mainly flat, totally traffic free course on smooth tarmac. It's also 3 weeks after MK so should I bite the bullet and do all 3, i could just about let my legs recover and walk/run it (there's a 6.5 hour time limit). Cons? Well, it's 17 identical laps of a race track!! Might get a bit same-old after 5 or 6 laps, but at least you get to watch the Eurostar trains go by... EDIT:- I've just entered this!!
Toronto Waterfront Marathon - If I can afford a trip to Canada next year, this looks like a fabulous race to take part in next October. Visited their stand at this year's VLM expo, and I was very tempted when having a peak at the most beautiful medal I've ever seen.
Yorkshire Marathon - My dad's side of the family is from Yorkshire, so I'm very keen on entering this one at some point. Looks good - but filled up very quickly.
There are lots of others I'd like to do, maybe I could aim for something like 40 before 40 (40 marathons before my 40th birthday), or aim to join the 100 Marathon Club... Athens, Dublin, Dubai, Tromso Midnight Sun, New York, Boston, Edinburgh, Copenhagen....these are all races I'd love to do!
Berlin Marathon - coming up soon on 29th September. Why? It's famous, fast, flat, has a host of elite record breaking runners and is one of the World Marathon Majors. It filled up in about 3 hours when I signed up for it last autumn! Always wanted to visit Berlin too, so a perfect excuse to run this prestigious race. Two Majors in one year too - can't be bad.
Eden Project Marathon - this is 3 weeks after Berlin so will be much slower and more chilled out. Just as good really as the scenery in Cornwall is amazing but the area is very hilly! So it won't be easy. I reckon I'll need to walk some of those hills. Went to the Eden Project last year on holiday and saw they hosted a race - so once I found that you could take the train straight there from London Paddington I signed up.
Brighton Marathon - Beginning of April and great sea front location. It's the week before London, and whilst I'll be over the moon if I'm ultra lucky enough to get a ballot place in VLM next year, I think that's unlikely! Brighton is a great alternative, well organised has great crowds, is a nice city for sports (I've done the Brighton Half Marathon and London - Brighton cycling event) and a fantastic atmosphere. London-by-the-sea! Nice medal too. So I've signed up for it.
Milton Keynes Marathon - it's inaugural race was in 2012, and apart from the weather (freezing cold and raining one year, swelteringly hot the next), it looks like a good one to do (what of 2014? Gales?). It's quite local as well and there's no ballot to worry about, so why not! May as well make the most of another winter of marathon training and it's a month after Brighton, so enough time to recover - although just enough to get round it, I don't think I'd be aiming to beat any PBs if i do this one.
Kent Roadrunner Marathon - this one is at the end of May. It has a number of great points including the biggest medal in Europe, facilities for every runner to set up their own drinks table that you pass by each lap (no need to carry a belt full of gels or worry about whether you can stomach the energy drink, and you can pop a spare shirt there in case the weather changes), water, drink and gels every 2.5km, easy to reach by high speed train or car, cheap (£30 early bird fee!), professional photographs included in the price, mainly flat, totally traffic free course on smooth tarmac. It's also 3 weeks after MK so should I bite the bullet and do all 3, i could just about let my legs recover and walk/run it (there's a 6.5 hour time limit). Cons? Well, it's 17 identical laps of a race track!! Might get a bit same-old after 5 or 6 laps, but at least you get to watch the Eurostar trains go by... EDIT:- I've just entered this!!
Toronto Waterfront Marathon - If I can afford a trip to Canada next year, this looks like a fabulous race to take part in next October. Visited their stand at this year's VLM expo, and I was very tempted when having a peak at the most beautiful medal I've ever seen.
Yorkshire Marathon - My dad's side of the family is from Yorkshire, so I'm very keen on entering this one at some point. Looks good - but filled up very quickly.
There are lots of others I'd like to do, maybe I could aim for something like 40 before 40 (40 marathons before my 40th birthday), or aim to join the 100 Marathon Club... Athens, Dublin, Dubai, Tromso Midnight Sun, New York, Boston, Edinburgh, Copenhagen....these are all races I'd love to do!
Gadgets
So I thought I'd write a post about the gadgets I use when I'm running or cycling, as these have really changed over the last year.
Nowadays I have a Garmin 10 GPS watch, which is a nice little piece of kit that I wouldn't run without now. It does the basic GPS tracking, and I mainly use it for distance, time, and average pace (although I find the pace less accurate whilst actually running, and more for analysis the overall run or intervals when I get home). I bought this just before the Prague Marathon as I wanted to keep track of my pace and, because it was my "casual" marathon, to time my walk/run strategy. I use it for cycling too.
I plot my runs on www.mapmyrun.com which is a lovely website. I used to record all of my runs on it as well but now just use the Garmin Connect website. MMR is good for planning routes and has been invaluable when plotting the long 15+ training runs that span at least 2 towns. I've also got the app on my iPhone, but tend not to use it as the GPS is really unreliable and the app is a bit slow.
Beofre my Garmin I took a simple stopwatch. The finish time combined with MMR gave me my route and average pace. Whilst I was out running I had to make do with check points to work out how far I'd gone - easy in a race where there's mile markers, but harder in a training run where the half way point is somewhere vague such as part way along a trail alongside a main road! I didn't take a watch until after the Loch Ness Marathon though, and the first race where I timed myself properly, keeping track as i went, was the Herts 10k - good to know I was on track for a PB there!
I didn't really like having a watch on my wrist as it annoyed me, but I soon got used to it, just as now I am used to the larger Garmin. Before the stopwatch I just used to start the timer on my iPhone and stop it once I'd finished - so it was not totally accurate as involved getting it in/out of my pockets and unlocking it to stop the timer. So it was always at least 20 seconds over.
Finally for the last 18 months I have kept a running log on my iPhone using the app Running Log. Simple but works very well (I also record swimming/tri/cycling on it, although I don't put any stats in as it would skew the figures it gives you for your overall running miles/timings etc).
My training plan for future sessions is a big excel document that I've kept going for over a year. Every week I edit and grey out the weeks with the actual workout I did, and it highlights all the dates there is a race. Marathons are highlighted as the most colourful, so I can see at a glance how many weeks there are to go, for making sure I hit the 15 mile minimum and 20 mile long run targets in time for the taper.
Nowadays I have a Garmin 10 GPS watch, which is a nice little piece of kit that I wouldn't run without now. It does the basic GPS tracking, and I mainly use it for distance, time, and average pace (although I find the pace less accurate whilst actually running, and more for analysis the overall run or intervals when I get home). I bought this just before the Prague Marathon as I wanted to keep track of my pace and, because it was my "casual" marathon, to time my walk/run strategy. I use it for cycling too.
I plot my runs on www.mapmyrun.com which is a lovely website. I used to record all of my runs on it as well but now just use the Garmin Connect website. MMR is good for planning routes and has been invaluable when plotting the long 15+ training runs that span at least 2 towns. I've also got the app on my iPhone, but tend not to use it as the GPS is really unreliable and the app is a bit slow.
Beofre my Garmin I took a simple stopwatch. The finish time combined with MMR gave me my route and average pace. Whilst I was out running I had to make do with check points to work out how far I'd gone - easy in a race where there's mile markers, but harder in a training run where the half way point is somewhere vague such as part way along a trail alongside a main road! I didn't take a watch until after the Loch Ness Marathon though, and the first race where I timed myself properly, keeping track as i went, was the Herts 10k - good to know I was on track for a PB there!
I didn't really like having a watch on my wrist as it annoyed me, but I soon got used to it, just as now I am used to the larger Garmin. Before the stopwatch I just used to start the timer on my iPhone and stop it once I'd finished - so it was not totally accurate as involved getting it in/out of my pockets and unlocking it to stop the timer. So it was always at least 20 seconds over.
Finally for the last 18 months I have kept a running log on my iPhone using the app Running Log. Simple but works very well (I also record swimming/tri/cycling on it, although I don't put any stats in as it would skew the figures it gives you for your overall running miles/timings etc).
My training plan for future sessions is a big excel document that I've kept going for over a year. Every week I edit and grey out the weeks with the actual workout I did, and it highlights all the dates there is a race. Marathons are highlighted as the most colourful, so I can see at a glance how many weeks there are to go, for making sure I hit the 15 mile minimum and 20 mile long run targets in time for the taper.
Thursday 1 August 2013
London Triathlon
If you just do one triathlon, make it the Virgin Active London Triathlon It's great fun, well organised and plenty of first timers!
This year was my second year of competing - but first of doing the whole thing myself. In 2012 I did a relay with two friends, Garrick and Nicola, for the olympic distance race. I did the 10k run (a week before my first marathon). It was really good fun and i knew that before the year was out I wanted to do the whole tri myself! So as soon as the early bird entries opened I got my name in - although it took me a while to decide which distance. Didn't want to risk the olympic incase training hadn't gone too well, but wanted to more than the super sprint. So went for the sprint distance. If I'd known I could have done an olympic I'd have signed up for that one!!
The venue was the ExCel in London, with the 750m swim in the Victoria Dock, and the cycle and runs were loops of the surrounding roads. 2 laps of the bike course, 2 laps of the run course. Getting there was really stressful - with road closures, huge holdups on the motorway and not liking driving in London anyway, it was not a nice experience. Worst part was crawling along the M25 thinking about what I'd do if I missed my wave (plan B, join the one of the later female waves, plan C, skip the swim, plan D, pick up my number anyway and try and get into one of the races the next day). Luckily it did not come to that and I got there just when planned having left an hour earlier than the sat nav suggested!
Race went well. The swim was very crowded (400 women in my wave - so had to split us into two sub waves!) so a lot of congestion around the buoys and the exit pontoon. Good fun though, as I managed not to panic and was fairly relaxed in the water for once!
Bike was great fun - always my favourite part of the tri. Mainly flat, only a few bridges and underpasses, and all closed roads. Not amazing scenery - with the exception of the O2 across the Thames and and Canary Wharf in the distance - there wasn't a huge amount to look at. The olympic-plus, with it's longer bike course, goes all the way to Westminster so better sightseeing there. It started raining quite heavily for about a third of the bike, although luckily not the thunderstorms that were due later that evening!
Run was alright, a better time than at Blenheim but still a slow 5k after all the rest of the race! Flat course and two laps meant two water stations, two showers - and two hills at the mid way point! I have just about perfected the art of unscrewing the top of my water bottle, grabbing a cup of water, pouring it into the bottle with minimal spillage, popping lid back on and throwing the cup in to the bin. As they were also giving out energy gels, I managed to scrounge three, although had no intention of taking them with less than 3 miles to go having devoured several on the bike. They fitted nicely in my tri suit pocket to be saved for another time!!!!
The finish line is actually back inside the ExCel, which is unusual. With each previous lap you run into the ExCel and past the finish line, before going back to do you next lap. It was tough in last year's 10k passing three times before finishing veering off to the finish! The finish line is good - loads of support and pictures taken as you cross. We didn't see Richard Branson this year though! Finish time was 1.50.30.
Goodies and freebies? Nice medal, although not quite a good as last year, swimming cap given out for the swim, a small hand towel towel (useful!), water bottle, energy bar and a bottle of recovery drink. Shirts and hoodies available to purchase.
Once I'd finished I took an hour or so to wander round the massive triathlon expo - and tried not to spend TOO much money! Bought myself a new medal hangar - a mini London themed hangar just for my VLM medal. It takes up to three, so room for more in future years! Plus an extra row for the one I already have, as it's, errr, rather full now! Also stocked up on recovery shake whilst it was on offer and some tights. I managed to resist any clothing, although did get tempted by the 75% off on trisuits at Tri UK and the gorgeous Zerod ladies suits. You can spend a good few grand there on bikes, bike parts, wetsuits, training and gear!
Certainly going to register for next year, for the olympic-plus distance (1500m swim, 80k bike and 10k run).
This year was my second year of competing - but first of doing the whole thing myself. In 2012 I did a relay with two friends, Garrick and Nicola, for the olympic distance race. I did the 10k run (a week before my first marathon). It was really good fun and i knew that before the year was out I wanted to do the whole tri myself! So as soon as the early bird entries opened I got my name in - although it took me a while to decide which distance. Didn't want to risk the olympic incase training hadn't gone too well, but wanted to more than the super sprint. So went for the sprint distance. If I'd known I could have done an olympic I'd have signed up for that one!!
The venue was the ExCel in London, with the 750m swim in the Victoria Dock, and the cycle and runs were loops of the surrounding roads. 2 laps of the bike course, 2 laps of the run course. Getting there was really stressful - with road closures, huge holdups on the motorway and not liking driving in London anyway, it was not a nice experience. Worst part was crawling along the M25 thinking about what I'd do if I missed my wave (plan B, join the one of the later female waves, plan C, skip the swim, plan D, pick up my number anyway and try and get into one of the races the next day). Luckily it did not come to that and I got there just when planned having left an hour earlier than the sat nav suggested!
Race went well. The swim was very crowded (400 women in my wave - so had to split us into two sub waves!) so a lot of congestion around the buoys and the exit pontoon. Good fun though, as I managed not to panic and was fairly relaxed in the water for once!
Bike was great fun - always my favourite part of the tri. Mainly flat, only a few bridges and underpasses, and all closed roads. Not amazing scenery - with the exception of the O2 across the Thames and and Canary Wharf in the distance - there wasn't a huge amount to look at. The olympic-plus, with it's longer bike course, goes all the way to Westminster so better sightseeing there. It started raining quite heavily for about a third of the bike, although luckily not the thunderstorms that were due later that evening!
Run was alright, a better time than at Blenheim but still a slow 5k after all the rest of the race! Flat course and two laps meant two water stations, two showers - and two hills at the mid way point! I have just about perfected the art of unscrewing the top of my water bottle, grabbing a cup of water, pouring it into the bottle with minimal spillage, popping lid back on and throwing the cup in to the bin. As they were also giving out energy gels, I managed to scrounge three, although had no intention of taking them with less than 3 miles to go having devoured several on the bike. They fitted nicely in my tri suit pocket to be saved for another time!!!!
The finish line is actually back inside the ExCel, which is unusual. With each previous lap you run into the ExCel and past the finish line, before going back to do you next lap. It was tough in last year's 10k passing three times before finishing veering off to the finish! The finish line is good - loads of support and pictures taken as you cross. We didn't see Richard Branson this year though! Finish time was 1.50.30.
Goodies and freebies? Nice medal, although not quite a good as last year, swimming cap given out for the swim, a small hand towel towel (useful!), water bottle, energy bar and a bottle of recovery drink. Shirts and hoodies available to purchase.
Once I'd finished I took an hour or so to wander round the massive triathlon expo - and tried not to spend TOO much money! Bought myself a new medal hangar - a mini London themed hangar just for my VLM medal. It takes up to three, so room for more in future years! Plus an extra row for the one I already have, as it's, errr, rather full now! Also stocked up on recovery shake whilst it was on offer and some tights. I managed to resist any clothing, although did get tempted by the 75% off on trisuits at Tri UK and the gorgeous Zerod ladies suits. You can spend a good few grand there on bikes, bike parts, wetsuits, training and gear!
Certainly going to register for next year, for the olympic-plus distance (1500m swim, 80k bike and 10k run).
Race Bling and goody bags
Recently we were discussing on Facebook our favourite and least favourite goodies from races, such as medals, tee-shirts and goody bags - aka race swag. Some races go all out and seems like half your entry fee is for the filling of the goody bag, whilst others you might be lucky to get a cup of water. Of course, it's directly related to how much the race cost - an £8 club race won't get you many frills but I've done a mass-participant half marathon that cost £50 and didn't even get anything to eat afterwards!
I'll upload some pics later especially for those of you who like to see what the medals and tee's look like.
So, here we go, in most important to least important:
1. The Medal. Or as I call it, the Shiny. Always good to have a medal - whilst some people stuff theirs in a drawer gathering dust, my serves as the prime memento for every race that gives them out, whether they are big and blingy or small on the end of a short ribbon. They are all lined up on special medal hangars on my wall - PBs, triathlons, cycling and walking events on one hangar and all the other running races on the other hangar. The best medals have the following features: specific to that race, solid feeling, well crafted and detailed, name of the race (and if there are several events being held that day, there should be different medals for each distance), date of race, somewhere to engrave time/name or slot for an iTab and a good quality printed lanyard. My favourite medals are from all of the marathons and She Runs Windsor 10k which is very blingy (it's good to have one or two glittery, colourful ones, although overall I prefer more traditional, classy medals). Saying that, I also love the Stevenage Half medal even though it does not have many of the above features because it's an excellent value club race and the medal feels almost vintage, like a classic 90's medal. My dad has some old 90's medals from the 1992-96 St Albans Half Marathons which are lovely, small but with engraved with little Roman soldiers in excellent detail. I have roughly 40 medals and admit that I occasionally enter a race purely for the quality of the medal.
2. Food and Drink. Usually the second thing I reach for after the shiny. Bottled water is always good, followed by snacks that are good to eat after running such as a banana, energy gels and sachets of recovery shake. Many big races give out packs of pistachio nuts - my favorite! You do get some odd things though, such as tee-bags, rice (after VLM 13), single prunes (also VLM) and bolognese mix. After the Loch Ness Marathon I was given 2 cans of Baxters soup (they sponsor the race) and some beer (shame I'm not a fan of it - would rather a miniature of Scotch!), plus a voucher for a meal in the post-race marquee. After the Blenheim Palace and London Triathlons they gave out sports bottles filled with Maxifuel recovery shake which I loved.
3. Other vital post-race stuff. After Run To The Beat at the very end of October 2012, I was freezing cold and there was a 30 minute queue for baggage. No foil blankets were given out. This is a must for any race between September and May! (and a good idea for summer races too as you never know what the weather will be like!). Other post-race stuff that may be needed might be lip balm, deodorant, baby wipes, blister plasters or socks. A draw string bag for wet/sweaty stuff can be useful! The Marlow Triathlon offered a choice of tee-shirt, top bar pouch, water bottle or race belt (I went with the bottle).
4. Tee-Shirt. Decent, well fitting tee-shirts are a bit hit and miss so I'm not particularly bothered about them. I'd rather pay an optional extra for a good one I really liked the look of than have a one-size-fits-all tent. Lady fit shirts of good quality are the best, either technical or stretchy cotton. The Jenson Button Tri, Run To The Beat and She Runs Windsor gave out some nice female-fit shirts. The best was the Reading Half, although you had to pay extra. I especially do not like being made to run in the tee-shirt as they may not fit and I prefer a vest for most of the year. Run To The Beat gave out shirts with your number printed on them, so you had no choice but to wear them (or cut it up and pin it to the front of your own vest) but at least it fitted and was technical material - it makes a good training top now. They also made you wear them at the walking marathons - SHINE and Pink Ribbon Walk as it had the distance you had signed up for printed on them. At the Herts 10K you were encouraged to wear the tee-shirt, but I did not, as it was cotton and too big - went for my Team GB replica instead. I tend not to buy the shirts nowadays unless it's a marathon as I have far, far too many!! Cotton ones tend to get used as PJs, although I am fond of my VLM shirt as it is very soft (would never wear it out though - it's HUGE). Oh - and tee-shirts fall into 2 categories - the "participant" shirt that you can buy or is just branded with the race name, and the "finisher" shirt which is more special as it shows you have actually completed the race.
Best post-race goodies? Loch Ness Marathon - it has the best medal, lots of food and drink and a reasonable tee-shirt.
Worst? Still annoyed at paying £50 to enter the RTTB Half Marathon - got a decent medal, shirt and energy drink but that was it - no food, water or foil blanket and then a 30 minute wait for my bag which had my extra water and warm clothing in it. Still, at least it wasn't a carrier bag full of non-running-related adverts.
PS. I find it really odd when races give you the goody bag BEFORE the race (even if you get one afterwards too. No'one wants goodies for something they haven't done yet!
Photos coming!!
I'll upload some pics later especially for those of you who like to see what the medals and tee's look like.
So, here we go, in most important to least important:
1. The Medal. Or as I call it, the Shiny. Always good to have a medal - whilst some people stuff theirs in a drawer gathering dust, my serves as the prime memento for every race that gives them out, whether they are big and blingy or small on the end of a short ribbon. They are all lined up on special medal hangars on my wall - PBs, triathlons, cycling and walking events on one hangar and all the other running races on the other hangar. The best medals have the following features: specific to that race, solid feeling, well crafted and detailed, name of the race (and if there are several events being held that day, there should be different medals for each distance), date of race, somewhere to engrave time/name or slot for an iTab and a good quality printed lanyard. My favourite medals are from all of the marathons and She Runs Windsor 10k which is very blingy (it's good to have one or two glittery, colourful ones, although overall I prefer more traditional, classy medals). Saying that, I also love the Stevenage Half medal even though it does not have many of the above features because it's an excellent value club race and the medal feels almost vintage, like a classic 90's medal. My dad has some old 90's medals from the 1992-96 St Albans Half Marathons which are lovely, small but with engraved with little Roman soldiers in excellent detail. I have roughly 40 medals and admit that I occasionally enter a race purely for the quality of the medal.
2. Food and Drink. Usually the second thing I reach for after the shiny. Bottled water is always good, followed by snacks that are good to eat after running such as a banana, energy gels and sachets of recovery shake. Many big races give out packs of pistachio nuts - my favorite! You do get some odd things though, such as tee-bags, rice (after VLM 13), single prunes (also VLM) and bolognese mix. After the Loch Ness Marathon I was given 2 cans of Baxters soup (they sponsor the race) and some beer (shame I'm not a fan of it - would rather a miniature of Scotch!), plus a voucher for a meal in the post-race marquee. After the Blenheim Palace and London Triathlons they gave out sports bottles filled with Maxifuel recovery shake which I loved.
3. Other vital post-race stuff. After Run To The Beat at the very end of October 2012, I was freezing cold and there was a 30 minute queue for baggage. No foil blankets were given out. This is a must for any race between September and May! (and a good idea for summer races too as you never know what the weather will be like!). Other post-race stuff that may be needed might be lip balm, deodorant, baby wipes, blister plasters or socks. A draw string bag for wet/sweaty stuff can be useful! The Marlow Triathlon offered a choice of tee-shirt, top bar pouch, water bottle or race belt (I went with the bottle).
4. Tee-Shirt. Decent, well fitting tee-shirts are a bit hit and miss so I'm not particularly bothered about them. I'd rather pay an optional extra for a good one I really liked the look of than have a one-size-fits-all tent. Lady fit shirts of good quality are the best, either technical or stretchy cotton. The Jenson Button Tri, Run To The Beat and She Runs Windsor gave out some nice female-fit shirts. The best was the Reading Half, although you had to pay extra. I especially do not like being made to run in the tee-shirt as they may not fit and I prefer a vest for most of the year. Run To The Beat gave out shirts with your number printed on them, so you had no choice but to wear them (or cut it up and pin it to the front of your own vest) but at least it fitted and was technical material - it makes a good training top now. They also made you wear them at the walking marathons - SHINE and Pink Ribbon Walk as it had the distance you had signed up for printed on them. At the Herts 10K you were encouraged to wear the tee-shirt, but I did not, as it was cotton and too big - went for my Team GB replica instead. I tend not to buy the shirts nowadays unless it's a marathon as I have far, far too many!! Cotton ones tend to get used as PJs, although I am fond of my VLM shirt as it is very soft (would never wear it out though - it's HUGE). Oh - and tee-shirts fall into 2 categories - the "participant" shirt that you can buy or is just branded with the race name, and the "finisher" shirt which is more special as it shows you have actually completed the race.
Best post-race goodies? Loch Ness Marathon - it has the best medal, lots of food and drink and a reasonable tee-shirt.
Worst? Still annoyed at paying £50 to enter the RTTB Half Marathon - got a decent medal, shirt and energy drink but that was it - no food, water or foil blanket and then a 30 minute wait for my bag which had my extra water and warm clothing in it. Still, at least it wasn't a carrier bag full of non-running-related adverts.
PS. I find it really odd when races give you the goody bag BEFORE the race (even if you get one afterwards too. No'one wants goodies for something they haven't done yet!
Photos coming!!
Round up of recent races
- Been a busy month so I probably won't ever get round to doing full race reports of all my recent events, but here's a summary of them!!
- Edit - now with more photos!
- John O’Callaghan Memorial 5 Mile 28/06/2013
My first evening race, a 7.30pm start after work on a Friday. Well organised, small club run in Luton which takes you round the nice, but hilly, Luton Hoo estate. There was a minute's silence for John O'Callaghan in whose name we race.
I wanted to try and get in under 50 minutes but I haven't worked much of speed lately so I didn't think I'd hit that target but would give it a shot. Messed up my first mile's pacing with a 9.30 min/mile (too fast!) and struggled for the rest. It was a lovely route once in the estate but psychologically tough as the area is quite hilly and makes for some weird optical illusions - there was a long stretch where it seriously looked like you were going downhill only to do a U-turn and discover you were running uphill that whole time! As it was a 2 lap course, i watched out for it the second time, but it almost caught me out again. Weather was wet, grey and raining! Got round in 52 minutes feeling shattered. Banana, water and medal at the finish. For those who'd come from further afield, the race took place from a sports center and has good shower/changing facilities and proper lockers.
- NSPCC Milton Keynes Half Marathon - 07/07/13
This was the hottest race ever! A week into the July heatwave and even sitting around waiting for the start was tough. I don't think anyone took this seriously. I am not a fan of hot weather and generally try and run early in the morning throughout the summer - a 10am start with running in the midday sun was unbearable! At least it makes other runs feel easier now. Went at a very slow pace and took on plenty of water at each station. Although I'd planned to run in a vest and shorts, many girls ran in crop tops so at the last minute I quickly ran back to the baggage area to stuff my vest into my bag, apply more sunscreen and run in my crop top too! Modest clothing days are long gone now. About half of the race was thankfully through tree-lined paths and cycle tracks, but there were still long stretches alongside main roads with no shade, no cloud and heat radiating off the tarmac. Race took me 2hr 40mins - my slowest by over 10 minutes (2nd slowest was Brighton Half when I was recovering from a cold). Many people were walking by 6 miles and some did not finish.
The marshals worked very hard to make sure people did not become ill from heat exhaustion which was a real possibility. Thanks to them as well for standing around in the blazing sun for the best part of 4 hours!!
Massive relief to finish that one, and although a PW it was certainly one of the toughest so VERY pleased to finish and earn the lovely medal. Didn't do much for the rest of the day except sleep, have a cool bath and watch Andy Murray win Wimbledon on the TV!!
Below: At the MK NSPCC Half with 2 follow runners (me in green), trying to keep cool in the shade before we set off. Plus the well earned medal - you deserve one if you run in that 30 degree heat!
Below: At the MK NSPCC Half with 2 follow runners (me in green), trying to keep cool in the shade before we set off. Plus the well earned medal - you deserve one if you run in that 30 degree heat!
- Jenson Button Triathlon - 14/07/2013
This was a good day out. Another trip back to Luton Hoo but this time got to enjoy the facilities a bit more. Run by the Jenson Button Trust, so we got to see the famous F1 driver close up in action - on the tri course at least!! This was the main reason I entered this race, as I am a big fan! He is actually just as good looking in real life as on screen!!
The day was actually 2 tri's - a morning "eliminator" super sprint, followed by a final sprint for those who made the top 50 men and top 20 women. Everyone else went into another super sprint "wooden spoon" race (yes, competing for an actual wooden spoon signed by Jenson Button!). It was another very hot day - 31 degrees by midday - so things were going to be tough out on the run.
Started off with the lake swim. The temperature was high enough to make wetsuits optional, so I opted out. 300m to go. Found the swim more of a challenge without the buoyancy of the wetsuit but it was a lovely temperature although very black water (black with soil rather than anything worse, I think!). Saved a bit of time by not having to take off the wetsuit at the end! Short run to transition, then onto the 9k bike course. First km or so is all uphill though! Pretty route but unfortunately there were some dodgy speed-bumps that were difficult to negotiate and required having to slow right down. Much of the bike course was the same out-and-back route ran in the John O’Callaghan Memorial 5 Mile although in the opposite direction. Nice downhill to transition! Run was short but hard as it was so hot and virtually no shade. On the way back to the finish i discovered I was just about to be overtaken by Jenson Button's girlfriend - tried to stop this from happening but to no avail! Could hear JB cheering her on and even got a cheer from him aimed at me (although not quite as loud or as enthusiastic!). Good finish with loads of supporters, but it was really weird knowing I was only half way done! Needless to say I did not make the top 20 so would do another super sprint.
2nd race was easier in some ways, but it was a lot hotter and ended up being a slower time over all. The swim felt smoother overall, but frustratingly my nose-clips were damaged right from the start, loosing one side of the rubber grip, so ended up slowing right down to work out why they weren't working properly! Once I'd decided to put up with it the rest of the swim went very well but it had already cost me a bit of time. Bike was good and it was nice to get some fresh moving air on the downhill! Run was really tough, whilst only 2.5km it was 20 minutes of running in 31 degree heat! Great to finish that race knowing it was all over!
The rest of the day and hours spent in between were very nice. I relaxed on the many beanbags and sun-loungers and was given unlimited free yogurts, packets of seeds/nuts and water. We also got a Maxifuel shake after each race and a decent goody bag. There was a lots of stuff for kids to do too, such as F1-themed video games on big screens. Plenty of chances to watch the tri's as well due to the multiple waves - there was always someone coming over the finish line. After the races there was a free BBQ in the grounds of the hotel with live music and the bar was open to all.
Below - some pics of the event and Mr Button himself at the finish line!
- Olympic Park 5 mile - 21/07/13
I certainly entered this race for the fun-factor rather than any hope of a PB! Getting right into marathon training again meant I needed to do a long run at some point over the weekend - a 5 miler wouldn't cut it - so this was just to enjoy the sights and have a laugh. The race was big - very oversubscribed, as it was the first mass race to be held in the Olympic Park - with the finish in the stadium itself! very well organised though, must have been one of the same lot who do some of the other big events in the UK. Race day was due to be cloudy but humid in the morning, but hot by lunch, so hopefully we would beat most of the heat. We also got given matching tee-shirts to wear (nice idea, although would much rather run in a vest in summer!) which the majority of people did. I sort of wished I'd worn my Team GB replica running shirt though!! The race was started by Sir Chris Hoy, which was epic! Plus taking part was Paula Radcliffe and Victoria Pendleton, plus a some celebs including Mel C!
It was a fun race, with runners of all levels (i.e. plenty of first timers looking for a taste of a mass London race) weaving around the Olympic Park. The park is not quite as glamorous as it was during London 2012, and loads of it is pretty much a building site. But it was good to run past the velodrome, aquatic center and the rest of it. Felt pretty good considering I'd run 16 miles the day before. The finish was epic - at 4.5 miles you enter the undercroft of the stadium before bursting out onto the track itself! 400 meters to go on the track in front of thousands of spectators then up to the finish line - it was awesome! Finished in 55 minutes, but just glad my legs didn't collapse having done 21 miles in 2 days. I sat around for a while afterwards eating the snacks out of the goody bag and watching the final runners come in whilst the bands were playing. Great day out!
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