One Long Hot Day!

Sorry - I did mean to do this last night but by the time we got back to Bristol it was nearly nine o'clock and I only had the will to drink a glass of wine, eat pizza and watch the highlights of the grand prix!  Sorry, I have to get my priorities right!

Anyway - Race Day certainly was one long hot day but it was a good one for me - not that I did a good time, far from it!  I didn't even achieve under 5 hours but I realised early on that was going to be a tall order and so kind of didn't try as hard, I guess. 

I arrived at the Red Start at about 9 a.m. with enough time to drop off kit bag, queue for a loo (quite quick actually!) and eat/drink a few things before moving to the start.   As I was waiting for the start I heard on my little radio that Lewis Hamilton had won the GP which gave me a boost before I had even started!  It took about 1/2 an hour to get through the start as expected - during that time, somehow I lost the 11min/mile pacer group which I had been planning to stay near - in the walk to the start they somehow just went way ahead of me - so that didn't bode well, I guess.   Anyway - I started (didn't get the same adrenalin rush at the start as I have done for half-marathons) and soon after the start saw Barbara and her kids and Anna and Zoe - then saw them again at about 5 1/2 as they only had a short walk from Blackheath to Greenwich town. 

I found the whole of South London ok generally - but it was getting hotter all the time.  I just wanted to get north of the river psychologically I guess.  Saw  friends at 11 miles, Rich at 11 1/2 and then the Rainbow Centre Director was at 12 miles just before Tower Bridge so that was a nice bit of support before the hard work began!   Over Tower Bridge (its a big bridge !) and had a surprise to see (and hear!)  a group of Hackney friends there on the North side - then the hard slog to the Isle of Dogs (with all the skinny fast runners running the other way!) -  I think it only started getting really tough (and slower) after about mile 16 - although it was nice to be able to start counting down the last ten.  By this time I was with seriously slow people and got a bit seduced by all the people taking walking breaks - and had given up hope of getting a reasonable time.  I did run most of the way though and just told myself I was conserving energy for the last bit!  Saw same friends again at c. 18 and then Rich, Barbara and all the kids at c. 19 - then it took ages to start heading west back towards the city. 

Mile 20 was a nice number to see - and then it was just hard long slog - but saw Rich and kids and friends at about mile 23 and then my sisters at mile 24 (time for a quick hug as I didn't think I was going to see them after!) - then in to the underpass where I found loos without a queue (had dashed into a pub earlier when i was a bit desperate!) - took the opportunity to reply to a text from Maria who was obviously sitting in her flat in Delhi worrying about me - Actually that loo stop was before I saw my sisters which is why they were looking so worried when they had been told I was only a mile away yet I took a bit longer than even they expected to complete that mile! Anyway it was a nice feeling to know it was only 2 and a bit to go and I did my best to keep going all the way down the embankment.  The crowd was amazing - just constantly cheering people on.  They obviously knew that standing there they had a special job to do!  It really helped!  I didn't realise Trafalgar Sq was so big though!  and then Birdcage Walk - having stood there to watch/cheer two years ago, I understand now why some people couldn't keep running the length of it - it just seemed to go on for ever but eventually we were rounding the corner by the Palace and the end was in sight!  Those 200 metres were the best of my life, I think!   It was just such an amazing day and such a great event to be part of!   I didn't feel emotional / euphoric to go through the finish - just relieved, tired and happy!  

Thank you everyone for all your support - texts, facebook posts, sponsorship,  shouts of encouragement along the route, prayers, everything - it was just so good to know people were there encouraging me on! 
I am very achey today and have one very interesting toe!  

36 hours to go!

Feeling scared and excited - and fighting off a cold! 
Have had a lovely lazy week in Cornwall - a few walks but not much else.  Its been great.  
And have seen nearly £300 come in in the last week which I am so encouraged about and grateful for! 
So here goes......  Next and last update will be after the event! 
Thanks everyone for your support.... Love you allxx

The blessed taper!

So enjoying  not having to increase the mileage each week or fortnight!  Did my last double figures run today - 13 miles.  Felt good for most of it although I got bored trying to count the tandems on the cycle path.  Saw a nice steam train, in fact, I was running alongside it for a few minutes.....  Tired at the end, though - am only going to run once this week.  I think my legs need a break and time to recover before the big day.  8 planned for next Sunday (in Cornwall) - will see how I feel.  Have been doing more rowing and even went swimming this week - 40 mins swimming up and down is so boring!  But I didn't feel tired afterwards so not sure if it did any good or not. 

Reading the Marathon forum sites is alternately scarey and then encouraging.  Some people (the superkeen!) have done 26 mile runs and a few 22 mile runs - others have only done max 16 or 18.  Some people are not running at all now - there is so much variation which is a bit confusing but I am just going to do my thing and hope for the best.

I have had about £150 sponsorship in the last week which is encouraging - but still have about 250 to go to hit my minimum!  I was going to do a sale yday (ie.. sell some stuff to raise money) but the one I was planning to do (involving a very early start) was not happening - good job I checked!  So will do one in May to make up any deficit.

Last Long Run!

And it felt long!  It also made me realise we live in a quite small city because I had to go from the east (where we live) through the town centre to the west (Sea Mills) then back in a bit to the Downs and then I headed North and into S.Glos (i.e Filton), around the ring road before I cut down to Frenchay and then hobbled home!  So I covered a good chunck of the North Half of the city to do 22 miles.  4 1/4 hours which wasn't bad considering how slow I was going.    It felt better than doing the lonely cycle path to Bath though but I don't feel that good about the run as a whole - it was a struggle from the start, probably because I am a bit tired and virusy at the moment but at least I have done it - I can now officially 'taper'!! i.e. do less over the next 3 weeks !

Ironically I found the Downs the worst bit of the run - I don't like running on grass and the paths were all very uneven - but the sun did come out briefly for that bit! 

Am very achey now and feel like I need a zimmer frame to get about the house.  A stair lift would be handy too! But am enjoying a rare glass of wine as tomorrow is a 'rest day' - i.e. go to work and have a normal evening!

20 miles in the bag!

Well, just about!  20 miles in my legs anyway - and to be fair I felt good about all but the last 6 or so.  Richard cycled out to meet me after 2 hours and I was ahead of schedule.  It really helped psychologically knowing I was going to have company for the second half - although the Bristol Bath cycle path was chockablock with people as it was such a nice day.  The ring road (first 7 miles) was much emptier and easier to navigate.   Anyway - I did the first 10 miles in less than 2 hours and kept up that pace for a few more but then it really slowed down and I think Rich found it a challenge to cycle slow enough!  But it helped having him at least nearby and I feel so pleased I have done it.  The extra bits of training I have been doing have paid off a bit, I think - I do believe a bit more that I will be able to do it in under 5 hours on the day!

The 'pack' arrived this week - quite scarey actually - loads of useful information, though. 

Change of plan

Today was supposed to be my second last long run.  20 miles. But.... to cut a long story and lots of  dilemmas short - I was not feeling great yesterday and today and decided it would not be wise to do it especially as I had no back-up for picking Zoe up from school were I to collapse somewhere along the route !   It has really put my training plan out though as I will now have to do my last two long runs quite close together. 


However, apart from that minor hiccup,  I have managed to add some more variety and quantity to my training sessions, so I am generally now doing some sort of training five times a week, mixing it up with rowing, interval training and just normal runs.  The end is in sight!  Less than 5 weeks now!

Silverstone 2:16:43

Well - apologies first for the really gross picture of me!  Its all I've got at the moment but will edit it with something better soon, I hope when the 'official' photos become available. 

The weather was great for the run,  but I was very disappointed with Silverstone.  A very boring route to run (just laps of the race track which looked really tatty and various even tattier service roads).  Most of it is being rebuilt so it was hard to imagine what it is like on F1 race day!  Not much atmosphere around the course as spectators couldn't get to many parts so some of it was just trudging with no support at all - I consoled myself with the thought that London will be completely different with atmosphere almost everywhere! 

My skirt started falling apart from the start!  But it stayed on and attracted some attention from the few spectators!  Definitely good having your name on the T shirt! 

I was pleased with my time as I found it quite hard overall - but mostly because it was boring.  Good to get it done and now its onward and upward - yikes!