Hastings Half Marathon

I really can’t believe it’s less than two weeks til the Brighton Marathon!  I’m looking forward to it so much!  I think I’m there, and done everything I can do – the only things that are worrying me slightly is a) what to wear (I always have this worry!) and b) Acclimatising to the spring weather since I’ve been training all winter and only now is it getting warm.

I’ve tried to fit my running in at the same time of the day as the marathon – morning and over midday – and today at lunchtime I’ll go out as it looks to be quite warm.  If it’s cool, or I run first thing in the morning, I’ll force myself to wear capris instead of shorts and arm wearers to raise my body temperature.  Bit of a dilemma as I also need to get used to running in my new shorts (they feel quite different to tights) and my singlet.  Oh the decisions!

Anyway, on Sunday 23^rd March I ran the Hastings Half Marathon.  I chose this one as it looks like a great sea-front race, which are always very enjoyable, and will remind me of Brighton, and also because of the gorgeous horse brass finisher’s memento.  I love my race medals, but this was something a bit different – yet still heavy, shiny metal!  It was also the 30^th Anniversary of the race, so set to be extra special (the race – not just the brass!).

On Saturday I did St Albans parkrun, it was a nice day for it.  Wore my new running dress (which is actually from Adidas’s tennis collection, but never mind!) as I like a bit of running fashion at parkrun.  We’re still using the off road course, as the normal path around the lake has been flooded since the Christmas storms and still has not drained away.  The off road course isn’t easy, there’s a hill that you do three times and when wet it can be very muddy and slippery at all the corners – you end up sliding backwards up one bit!  But all good fun though, most people have an unofficial off-road PB that they try to beat as well as their regular PB and there can be a good few minutes difference between them.  Saturday was quite dry though, so although a bit muddy, it was much easier than previous weeks, and could also be managed fine with road shoes instead of trail shoes.  I didn’t go all out on this, but just went at my normal medium-run tempo pace and finished in 32 minutes.  Had a nice coffee and cake afterwards at the park café – got to be done!

Afterwards I packed my running gear and overnight bag and took the train down to Hastings.  I’d had a sudden cancellation of my guesthouse the night before which had worried me a bit – but they had managed to find somewhere else at the last minute.  The new room was fine, a nice enough guesthouse and they didn’t charge me any extra even though it was more expensive (I’d have complained if they had, since it wasn’t my fault the first place had cancelled!) but it was much further from the start line.  I got a good night’s sleep though and woke up early, and after breakfast walked the 2 miles or so to the race HQ (with my heavy backpack and all!).

I’d tweeted a photo of myself with my race number on twitter that morning, as had several other #ukrunchat runners who were also running Hastings, incase we saw each other.  I didn’t see anyone though, and I’m not sure if anyone saw me, but was fun keeping an eye out all the same and compare results afterwards!  I decided to wear my pink adidas capris (my go-to tights to anything from circuits to a long run!) as they are really comfy and would probably get me noticed.  Also my new London Marathon singlet, which I bought to wear at London if my charity can't get any vests printed (I'm not sure if they do, they are a very small charity so not much of a budget for those sorts of extras).  I hadn't actually worn it for running yet (fears of jinxing the race!) so decided to try it out.  Finally my blue arm warmers and hydration pack.

The conditions were quite chilly at first, but it was sunny and there was a great atmosphere, plus the HQ was right on the sea front so we got amazing views.  I dropped my bags off and put my hydration pack on, and had a wander round the runner’s village for a bit before heading to the start line.  It was quite crowded here, and took ages to get far enough back, there were loads of spectators and members of the public trying to get through as well.  Also I didn’t see any markers or pens to guide runners into the correct start zone (although after I’d finished I did see one saying “80 minutes”).  I got chatting to another gentleman who had run many of the previous half marathons, and a group of girls from a local bootcamp club.  Then, off we went!

As I’d taken the Bath and Brighton half’s, and the Surrey Spitfire 20 quite seriously, I decided I wasn’t going to aim for a time on this one and just go out and enjoy it.  I’m meant to be tapering anyway!  I’d heard it was very hilly, so would go easy on the hills if I needed to.  Very true – half a mile in and we came to the first, short, but very steep hill!  The next seven miles or so were almost all uphill, too!  Including a very long slog for about two miles before we finally starting on the downhill.  I actually didn’t mind that slog as it was so long but not too steep that it was at least easy to get a nice (slow) pace going.  I find it much harder when you go down-up-down-up and have to change paces constantly.  There was a short out-and-back section, but it wasn't very long and was nice to see a few familiar faces I'd chatted to earlier, as I went by in each direction.

There was amazing support – for a medium sized town race it was really fantastic to see thousands of people out cheering us on!  And not just in the busy areas either, they came out of houses onto the main roads and set up picnics on roundabout, giving out loads of sweets and oranges.  It was brilliant.  The best part was at about mile 8, running downhill through a fairly narrow but pretty road, with old pubs lining the streets.  There were loads of spectators outside, having a nice Sunday lunch and cheering us on.  They really did love to support their local race.  Although I was listening to music (it was nice to be able to after the long run last weekend without it!!), I had it on quietly so I could still hear the all the cheers and clapping.

We had bizarre weather – it became quite warm at first, (I was wearing arm warmers as I needed to get used to the heat, and although I wanted to take them off I did not), but then we had a few minutes of hail later on!!  And after I’d finished, a very heavy shower of rain!

The final couple of miles turned out onto the sea front, which was nice and flat but quite windy.  It was a deceptively long stretch – even though I knew I had another two miles to run (I’d even walked the same stretch that morning from the hotel!) it still felt like the finish line should be in sight by now!  At least it was, and I went for a sprint finish, and finished in 2.26.08.

I was given one of the lovely Brass finisher’s gifts, which really is very impressive and a good size - one of my biggest and heaviest pieces of race bling (going to look for more races that give out a Brass!), a cup of tea and water at the finish line, then went to collect my bag and pull on some warm clothes, as it was quite cold in the wind.  I bought a few pieces of the race merchandise – a keyring, whisky glass, coaster and magnet (they were very reasonably priced!) plus a martingale to mount the brass so it looked even better and could be hung on the wall with the other medals.  I watched some of the later finishers, and checked out my mile splits – you could certainly tell where the hills were!  It was easy to get negative splits in this race given the first half is uphill and the second half is down – you can do it without even trying!!

I took the train back that afternoon and once home had a nice bath and then some ice cream in the evening.  Overall it was a really great race and I’ll be doing that one next year for sure.

Hastings Half Marathon

Bib number - 1112

Finish time (chip) – 2.26.08

Position - 2806

Below - Pre race selfie!  Hastings sea front, and the finisher's Brass on it;s martingale.

Lessons Learned

I’ve been thinking about my Lessons Learned this last couple of weeks – things I learned from my previous marathons and what I can get from them this time round.  I don’t think I’ve done a specific blog post about this in the past, so I’ve been reading through old posts just jotting down a few points I’ve made, especially in race reports.  Some of them are quite general, which I probably should have learned from any major magazine or website, but others are really personal quirks that I have learned over time!

So, here are my top X…

1. No marathon is the same!  Ok so 5 marathons is hardly comparable to what members of the 100 Marathon Club have achieved but I knew right from marathon number two that just because I’d done one good marathon, doesn’t mean the second is going to be better!  Loch Ness (#1) was very good, partly down to luck and conditions of the day, and partly down to training consistently for my first big race.  I expected things to go just as well for London, the following April.  They didn’t, and by mile 20 almost hitting the “wall” I was very confused and disappointed why things hadn’t turned out the way they did in Loch Ness.   Marathon #3 (Prague) was different again (slower, but intentionally so, and mentally easier than London) while Berlin, in September 2013, was back to being an awesome race.  I expect my mum will say it’s like having kids – each birth is different and just because you’ve had your first doesn’t mean things will be the same for the next!  I am expecting each of the five races in the spring Marathon Grand Slam to be different each time – by the time I do Kent (my 10^th) who knows what will happen!

2.  Train seriously for the time you want to achieve.  For Loch Ness, I just wanted to finish, I wasn’t bothered too much about my time but I did try for around 5 – 5.10, and based my training run paces on achieving a pace that would get me round in that time.  It worked, and I finished in 5.05.  For London, I did more long runs, but I also did them much too slowly.  Anything over 15 miles was over a 12 min mile, and it took me weeks and weeks to improve.  I found the winter training hard, especially with the snow – and when we hit spring and get clear, dry roads again I was too used to running slowly to get time pace I wanted.  On the day though, I felt so excited and mentally ready that I told myself the crowds would pull me round and if I followed the 5 hour pacer I’d get round.   Of course, 10 miles in, the pace was a lot faster than what I’d be training at, and I dropped back.  Having gone out too fast, I then ended up slowing right down in the second half and took too many walking breaks.  It was a slower time, 5.21, but I’d been running the second half at the slower pace I’d trained all winter – so what did I expect?  This year I’ve got my sign very firmly on a sub-5 hour, and the pace needed to maintain that.  I’ve managed several 20 mile runs on or around that pace, so I think I‘ve done all I can and just got hope the training comes together in the taper for the perfect pace needed on the day.

3. Obsess over your race-day and long run routine!  Even the smallest things can make a difference when you’re running for hours on end.  The day before, I watch what I eat (excluding anything that might upset my stomach, even orange juice is a no-no) and drink lots of water.  On the day, I have lots of little quirky preferences, such as making sure my hair is in a tight bun with absolutely no strands loose, my trainers have no bits of sand in them to cause blisters, the laces are done up perfectly and tucked away, I’ve used the sports deodorant, my sunglasses are free from fog and finger prints, the straps on my hydration sack are secured in their bungees and not flapping about, the iPod/headphones cable (if wearing) is not twisted and is tucked under my sports bra strap and is at exactly the right length so as not to bounce – oh I could go on!  And this is as well as the obvious things like making sure I’ve have some carbs for dinner and got my race number out.

4. Think about clothing and don’t over-dress if it’s hot.  I’m a sucker for nice sports gear, and love colourful tee-shirts, cute running skirts and dresses (yes, you can get them!), bright tights/capris and the latest running fashion.  I really do feel great when wearing my favourite gear, and it gives me a lot of confidence – when I know I look good, I tend to believe I can perform better too.  But it’s not always the most suitable for the long run, and what works for parkrun or a 10k women-only race doesn’t work during long solo 20 milers or the marathons.  Often the simple baggy shorts and old charity vest top from two years ago are the most comfortable and best fitting.  I also have a dilemma every spring – I find cool-weather clothing more comfortable for longer runs than hot weather gear – especially tights instead of shorts, and trail tee-shirts instead of vest tops.  But I get way too hot in tights past March, which bugs me when I’ve trained all winter in them and then it’s three weeks before marathon day and I’ve got to wear shorts which always seem to ride up or just feel weird.  Then my running backpack rubs under my arms, as I’ve not got long sleeves to protect the skin, so it’s pass the Vaseline time.  (I do wish the London Marathon was held in February!).  In the autumn races it doesn’t matter so much – I've trained in shorts and vest tops all summer so I’m used to it come race day.  Which brings me to…

5. Race Day weather is unpredictable!  And usually (but not always) warmer than I expect!  I think I’ve managed to run a race of at least half-marathon distance in every condition from minus 2 degrees in Norway to over 30 degrees in a freak July heat wave last year.  If I could choose the weather, it would probably be the same as most people’s wishes – dry, sunny, a light breeze, but not too hot, humid or windy.  A crisp clear winter’s morning is perfect, or in the summer then blue skies but lower temperatures than usual to make running more bearable.  I like conditions to be similar to what they have been in the three month’s training prior, possibly slightly cooler on race day itself.  I got lucky in the Loch Ness and Berlin Marathons – both hot summers but then nice cool, sunny days on race day.  It was lovely and refreshing and I did not heat up too much.  London was the other way round – while it was a gorgeous sunny spring morning, it followed months of a cold winter which still saw snow at the end of March!  It felt like a heatwave on the day!  I felt really bad the next day when friends and family who were watching on the day said I’d got the perfect conditions for it, as secretly I had really struggled.  Prague was very hot, while Eden was a real mixture - we had rain and thunder storms on and off all day! 

6. A more traditional lesson learned now – taper properly.  Before Berlin I really wanted to do both the Great North Run and Run To The Beat in September.  They were a week apart and shortly before the marathon.  I ended up running both, but with a 20 mile run between them – mid week!  Then a week before I did a sprint-distance triathlon with the club!  A bit weird.  It didn’t actually do any harm, as I got a PB at Berlin, but I’d rather keep it one long run per weekend, gradually getting shorter and not adding random triathlons.  This time round, I’m being very good at keeping the mileage low, but the intensity of the runs the same, but not adding any sudden speed work or 3k sprints.  I’m resisting the temptation to replace my shorter runs with more cross training to “make up for it”, and have decided to miss swimming or circuits sessions when needed.  The focus is on recovering from the long runs and letting the fitness be absorbed, rather than suddenly start working new muscles or wearing myself down too much and being sore on race day.  But it’s a thin line – too much rest and my fitness will go and I’ll feel sluggish on the day.  I also start being far more aware of tiny niggles, aches and colds or headaches coming on.  After three 20 mile runs my immune system is quite weak, so having to make sure I take lots of Vitamin C and stay clear of germs and colds (not easy when people bring them to work!).

7. Bring more gels/fuel than I need.  Even when I know there’ll be feed stations, I like to carry everything I’ll need.  I’ve run out of fuel before, and struggled (mile 16 of Loch Ness) only to discover they had run out of energy gels at the next feed station.  I only drink water now too – Lucozade used to be my favourite found in the end I found it far too sweet and sickly.  I have several favourite brands, all tried and tested.  I also look forward to a bit of apple on race day – it seems to be given out by spectators and in European races and I really like it, it’s a nice refreshing snack to the sticky gels.

8. Walk around afterwards, and bring lots of warm clothing, including compression tights.  I was freezing cold after my first marathon, but a pair of thermal compression tights and a warm coat really did the trick.  Scoff what’s in the goody bag straight away, even better if you can get hold of a thick milkshake or recovery drink afterwards too.

These are my main lessons – I’ve got lots but these are the ones that really matter.  By the way – the above is not ALL I do, there’s (obviously) the training plan and following it correctly, eating the right food, testing my clothing beforehand, getting the mileage in.  The above are all extras that I’ve picked out from things not going perfectly to plan in previous races – or things that did go well, and not I don’t want to change them!!  I’m sure I’ll learn loads more in the next few months! 

Races before the Brighton Marathon

I'm really excited, as we're well and truly on the countdown til the Brighton marathon now, with only 2 and a half weeks to go!  Training has gone very well, and I’m really hoping that I’ve done everything I can to achieve a PB – and even better, a sub-5 hour marathon.  I’ve done a 26.2km “kilomathon” training run at 15 seconds faster than marathon pace, and have managed 20 miles at bang on marathon pace.  Now I just need to taper, not get ill or injured, and hope for perfect conditions on the day.  Cool, bright weather with a very light sea breeze would be perfect.

I’ve done a few days recently too, the Surrey Spitfire 20 last weekend, and the Bath Half Marathon at the beginning of March.  Both went well, but couldn’t have been more different.  I had a great weekend in Bath, having felt nice and rested from an easy week (thought I had a cold coming on so backed off the training a bit) and settled into a very comfortable guesthouse just a stone’s throw from the runner’s village.  I’d even met another girl on the start line from St Albans – what are the chances of that!  The weather was horrendous, cold and very wet, but it didn’t stop the crowds from coming out in their tens of thousands!  I love the Bath route too, it’s fast and mostly flat with loads of spectators along the way.  I was really pleased with my finish time of 2.19 and I didn’t even go all-out for it.  I enjoyed an evening at the Bath Thermae Spa afterwards, which was the perfect place to relax and recover.

The Surrey Spitfire 20 was by contrast a hot and hilly race.  It was three weeks out before Brighton, and myself and 4 other friends all went down road-trip style for the day.  It was held on the Top Gear test track, at Dunsfold Aerodrome and was 2 laps of the airfield and surrounding roads.  Most of us did the 20, as we all have Brighton or London (or both!) coming up, and Rich did the 10 mile option.  I managed this one in 3.54, a few minutes slower than last week’s 20, but was pleased with this given the build-up of fatigue, the heat and the hills.  I got chatting to a follow Brighton runner on the way round as well, and we paced and encouraged each other round.  It was quite sociable, as MP3 players were not allowed due to open roads, so more people were talking than usual.  Have to admit, after a few hours, I did miss my music and my easy conversation and chit-chat was just turning into grunts and mutters come 16 miles as I starting to struggle!  There was a brilliant medal though – one of my favourites – so this made it all worth it!

I’ve got the Hastings Half Marathon this Sunday, so that will be my last long run.  Then I’ll really be cutting back the training, with maybe 6 or 8 miles a week out, with some short runs and cross training to keep active, but no more long or hard runs.  Hopefully by the 6^th April I will be feeling fresh and ready to run the full 26.2!   And I really want that PB – so I’m going to give it my all.  Even if it means really hobbling round the London Marathon the following week!

Finally, speaking of London, I’m really excited about this as well (well, I have been even since I got my charity place confirmed!).  My final instruction magazine arrived on Saturday after I got home from parkrun, and I read it cover to cover.  Now I’m thinking about when to go to the Expo to pick up my number – being near to London I should go on an earlier day, but I think my friends are heading there on Saturday, so will see.  I can’t wait, it’s going to be one epic street party!

Road trip time!  Ben, Wai-Meng, Rich, me and Esther

Race Bling and number

Me finishing - looks like I'm trying to fly an invisible jet pack!

London Marathon Magazine and registration form

My chunky Surrey Spitfire 20 medal

Double Race Weekend!

What's better than a race at the weekend?  Two races at the weekend!  Yep, on the 15th and 16th February I ran the Garmin Race Your Pace (RYP) half marathon at Dorney Lake and then jumped on the train down to Brighton, for the Brighton Half Marathon!  Fast courses, not to mention the haul of medal-bling on offer.  Why two halfs in two days?  To practise running on tired legs - I'll need to do this to run both Brighton and London Marathons.

RYP was up first.  I wanted to push myself on this one, and redeem myself after the Watford Half (a disappointing 2.30 finish time).  I was also really keen to see if the interval training was paying off, and whether I could achieve an average of under 11 minute miles.  The race is specially designed for runners to think about their pace and try and achieve a PB or target pace/time, and the course is 4 laps of the lake, and pancake flat.  There are pacers for every minutes, from 6 to 12.  I chose the 11 minute mile pacer.

The most challenging part of the race was the weather!  It was dry for most of it, but we did get rain.  However, it was the very strong wind that made things particularly challenging.  Every 4th lap, we had to run into wind for 2km, before turning 180 and enjoying the downwind section.  This made it feel like there were 4 hills!  There was a great atmosphere among the runners, and our pacing group stuck together until about the third mile.  It is surprising how much easier it makes running, as when you are all in a little pack you tend to keep up the pace without realising.  Plus, there's more shelter from the wind and people to chat to!  The group spread out a lot later on, and it was soon obviously we were running faster than 11 min miles, but I stuck close to the pacer as much as I could.  I pushed hard for the final 2km stretch and sprinted the last little section - and was very happy to finish in 2.19.04!  A 10.37 min mile average!  Thanks Pacer, you were awesome!  I love the medal, which shows a little tortoise and hare - but the tortoise has a rocket strapped to it's back and is overtaking the hare!

After driving home from Dorney lake, it was straight to the train station and down to Brighton for the next half marathon.  This was a much bigger race, which I'd done last year.  I really wanted to beat my time from 2013, and to be honest, even if I took it fairly easy it probably won't be too difficult as I'd finished in 2.29 last year which I was disappointed with (I was starting to get a cold and felt faint half way through).  The plan was to run just over 11 minute miles, and steady, so easier than RYP but still hopefully inside marathon pace.

Brighton also went very well - although the legs were not too keen on being pushed yet again and started to do their own thing at mile 5!  It was a fabulous day, very sunny and mild, and there was a great atmosphere among runners.  I actually really enjoyed running, and not just afterwards I'd finish - actually while I was running.  This is quite rare for me as I tend to just enjoy it once it's all over and done it - it does hurt, after all!   I did take it fairly slow for the first few miles, but was still feeling good so was happy to go faster than planned.  Also a mostly flat course, there was no strong wind to contend with this time but we got a nice, refreshing sea breeze instead.  Annoyingly, I had not charged my Garmin the night before, and the battery was going fast.  At mile 10, I decided to switch off the GPS and go by timer only, knowing I had only 5k to do, and could base my performance on this easily enough.  I was thrilled to finish in 2.22.21 - only a few minutes off the previous day's race!  The medal was awesome, very large and chunky - similar design as last year but much thicker!

I had a lovely walk along the beach while eating the chocolate from my goodybag, then took the train home and enjoyed a lovely bath.  I was also pleased to see that my latest Virtual Race medal had come through - from a successful 10k done that week - bringing the bling count that week to three!   Finally, I headed off to a couple of friends' house for dinner, to catch up, check out their new place and meet their puppy!  The pup certainly had more energy by that point that I did!

Garmin Race Your Pace bib number and race pack

Dorney Lake - Rowing venue for the 2012 Olympic games

Getting ready to run in Brighton along the sea front

Brighton after the race

Brighton Wheel - the landmark for 13 miles! 

My medal haul for this weekend!  Brighton, RYP and the Virtual Race 10k