London Marathon 2013

On Marathon morning last Sunday, I woke up at 5am when the alarm rang. This surprised me as normally when I have to wake up early for something important, I wake up at least three or four times in the night to check I haven't overslept! At least it meant I'd slept well. 

Breakfast was my normal porridge with rice milk, honey, blueberries and seeds (pumpkin, sunflower and chia). I had a couple of slices of toast with butter and made a smoothie to take with me - mango, pineapple, banana and spinach with flax seed. Although I thought I'd been really organised, I still found myself doing last-minute things before I left the house. *note to self - have absolutely everything organised 2 days before a big race so there is nothing to do on the day or the day before...

I wanted to catch the 7.40 train from Peckham Rye to London Bridge and then I'd hop on one of the special train services to Blackheath. Stepped out of the house at 7.20, walked round to the bus stop only to find no buses. Well not for another 12 or so minutes which meant catching the train would be tight. Started walking the half mile to another bus stop where there'd be more buses. Things weren't going as smoothly as I would have liked and I could feel myself getting flustered. But a random passer-by wished me "good luck" when he saw my race number and bag and that was lovely. Plus it looked like we were going to be lucky with the weather so something else to make me smile.

Got to the station on time, hopped on the train to Blackheath and by 8.10, I was there. The place was already teeming with people heading towards the various start areas. You could feel the buzz and excitement in the air! I was having pre-race nerves of the loo kind. Or 
maybe I should say the poo kind. If you're going to be running for any length of time, you need to make sure you've been already as the movement of running acts like a powerful laxative. And when you need to go, you need to go quickly! I went into the cafe where I would be meeting others from Run Dem Crew. I was going to have a coffee but thought I'd check the loo situation before I ordered. No loos. Great! I wandered out in search. Luckily there were a couple of tardis toilets just across the road with a small queue of runners so I went and joined them. It took a while but finally I was in the tardis and just in time as my stomach had been making ominous rumblings when I'd been stood in the queue. I couldn't work out how to get out of the tardis though so a moment of panic pressing what I thought was the exit button but not being able to get out. Finally realised I'd been pressing the wrong button...

Back to the cafe and time to enjoy a nice coffee while I waited for the others. I had a missed call from my friend Eileen who was also running the Marathon. Gave her a call back. She'd just arrived in Greenwich and was as excited as a little kid on Christmas Day. Eileen's been a great source of inspiration to me, not just because of her endless enthusiasm and infectious excitement over running but also because when she ran her first marathon back in 2008, she finished in just under 5 hours. Now, she's completing in around 3.40 so that gives me a lot of hope that I too can become as fast as her. 

At 9 it was time to meet the others from Run Dem Crew. 3 of us were running (Leanne, Chippy and me) and the rest were there to give support and encouragement. This is one of the many things that I love about the Crew - the support, love and friendship given before, during and after a race. It's really special and means a lot to me. The first couple of races I ran (Brighton Half this year and last) I was on my own for the start and that can be lonely. While I loved the race itself, I felt envious of people who had running friends to run with. Now that I'm part of this wonderful crew, running is no longer a solitary thing. 

Once we were all assembled we headed up towards the start areas. Leanne and I peeled off to go to the Red start and the others went up to the Blue start with Chippy. By the time we got there we had about fifteen minutes to drop bags, make one final trip to the loo and head to the right pen. At both the Half  Marathons I've run this year, I've found myself in a slow moving toilet queue literally minutes before the race started. A stressful start to a race and something I didn't want to repeat again. I decided to take my chances and forget that final trip to the loo.

I headed to my pen and found the 9.46 minute mile pacers at the back. After chatting to my running/marathon coach Chris, we'd decided the best race strategy would be to run with these pacers, ideally until the end of the race. That would have me finishing in 4.15 hours. If I was tiring towards the end, I could drop back to the 10.18 pacer where I'd finish in 4.30. That was the game plan and one I should have been able to do as I'd run my fastest Half Marathon in 2.06. But it was already warm and my long-sleeved layer that I was going to wear for the first 10 minutes while I warmed up was removed before we'd even got started. I'm warm and we're standing still? After training through a horribly cold winter, this was a novel encounter.

As we stood around chatting, there was the sound of a whistle being blown. This was the signal to mark the start of the 30-second silence for Boston. The chattering stopped immediately and we observed the silence. The end was also marked by the whistle and a huge cheer erupted all through the pens. And then it was time for the race to start. We shuffled forwards slowly towards the start line. Normally I'm feeling nervous at this point but I felt quite calm. You're still faced with tackling the unknown but no point panicking now. If you haven't done enough training, you're only going to find out on the road...

Finally we were off! I'd decided to run with a pacer to stop me going off too fast at the start. Normally the first few miles of a race I'd run at 9 minute miles and slow down later. I was expecting to feel like I was holding myself back, really reining in the energy and speed. Instead I found I had to work hard to maintain the pace. Plus a lot of people ahead of us were running slower than as so there was a lot of slowing down, speeding up and trying to get round people. Slightly frustrating to overtake people who'd already decided to walk in the early stages of the race. Walking is absolutely fine but if that's what you plan to do, do the right thing and start in the right pen! I found it strange that I was finding the pace hard so early on, that was completely unexpected. I was expecting to frolic along like a spring lamb so I could only put it down to the strangely warm weather.

At the 3-mile mark, I popped a couple of Clif shot blocks into my mouth. As soon as they'd gone down I wanted to throw up. Oh great, I'm feeling hot and bothered trying to run at a pace that should be ok for me and now I'm feeling sick too. The race wasn't going well and I wasn't enjoying things. Trying to stick with the pacer was becoming stressful. You were more focused on the man with a flag in his backpack than the crowds cheering you on. I stuck with him for another mile or so and then let him slip away. I slowed down a little, moved to the left of the runners and remembered the words of Charlie Dark, founder and leader of Run Dem Crew - smile, enjoy the race, high-5 some kids! The minute I started doing this, I found myself enjoying things. Phew, that was a relief - I didn't want to run over 20 miles hating every minute of it. 

At around Mile 5 I caught the Taiko drummers. This was special as I always loved hearing Taiko drums when I lived in Japan. As we ran into Greenwich the crowds got bigger and bigger, all clapping and cheering. By this point I was running round with a permanent grin on my face, waving at the TV cameras. Although I realised I was running behind a tall Womble and perhaps it was better to run in front of him for maximum photo/filming opportunities.

Inspire A Generation - Part 2

Part Two of my Olympics review. One thing I forgot to mention in the previous review was how I loved the Olympics finding it's way into my everyday routines. For the past two weeks my Saturday morning 5k run at Park Run in Brockwell Park has had an Olympic connection. The first week (morning after the Opening Ceremony), as I was stretching before the run, I spotted a woman dressed in the nurse's outfit from the Opening Ceremony. I walked over for a chat and to hear her experiences on taking part in the Ceremony - she was ecstatic, I don't think she'd been to bed but she'd turned up for the run in her costume and trainers and was invited to start at the front of the pack - a great photo opportunity! Last Saturday at Park Run as I stood stretching, waiting for the run to start, two guys came up to me and said "Is this a race?". I explained to them what Park Run was and how they could run, even though they hadn't registered. They were from Finland, over for the Olympics and we had a fun few minutes before the start of the run chatting about the Olympics. I asked them what they thought so far of London hosting and they were full of praises - great to hear! For the last couple of weeks, every time I've got on a bus or a train or a tube there's inevitably been one of the Olympic Games Makers on board too. The thousands of volunteers in their distinct purple and red uniforms have done an incredible job of welcoming people to the Games and I'm sure a large part of the success so far have been these happy, positive faces getting involved with the greatest show on earth!

Last weekend, there seemed to be a collective shift in consciousness. Millions had watched Team GB's outstanding performance on the Saturday and by the Sunday, people were taking to social media to demand Team GB athletes to be the role models for the nation (particularly the next generation), not the talentless twerps of reality TV and premier league football players. We've seen what true champions look like, we know that the medals have come as a result of their commitment, dedication, perseverance and sheer hard work - and these are the qualities needed for true success, regardless of your discipline. As a nation we've become obsessed with the minute details of the lives of Z-list celebs. You know something, this is not in the least bit inspiring or engaging, actually it's down-right depressing that people are so caught up in the lives of people where it seems to be one car crash after another. Who cares if Kerry Katona has a new man, or what Jordan is up to or if Chantelle and Alex are together or not? Why have we become so obsessed with how much cellulite someone has or what they look like with no make up on - as a nation we have become very dumbed down in the last decade or so and unfortunately reality TV has it's part to play. Talentless no-bodies can become famous but what exactly are they doing to inspire the next generation, how are they teaching kids what it takes to be a real success in the world? 

 As a nation we lap it all up, littering our language with phrases from TOWIE or Made In Chelsea or some other inane programme. The media are not to blame entirely, if we didn't have such an appetite for such drivel, it wouldn't be fed to us in such vast quantities. It'll be interesting to see the impact the Olympics has on the nation once it's all over. Will we go back to being who we were or will the incredible success of these games be the catalyst to immense changes to wash over the nation? I sincerely hope it's the latter. I love the Olympics motto "Inspire a Generation" because I know how important it is to inspire the next generation. Every one of us can do something to inspire the next generation and we should. I'm one of the lucky ones, I had some people speak some magic words to me when I was 18 - "You will achieve anything you set your mind to" (If you want to know the background to the story, you can find it elsewhere on this blog) and those words were the catalyst to so much. I've never forgotten how some people's belief in me shaped my life and there comes a point when you do what you can to pass that forwards. I don't know what that's going to look like for me but I know the desire to do something is burning strong so I will find a way...

These Olympics have done so much to portray a positive image of GB around the world. I wasn't sure what these Olympics would be like, never in a million years did I imagine that we'd pull it off so well. I'm going to be completely honest here, when we won the bid in 2005 I did think "oh god, that's going to be a joke, it's going to be horribly embarrassing and the whole world will be watching..." - and I'm one of life's more positive, optimistic people! You think about our joke politicians and our joke transport system and the usual mood of the country which is negative and whiney and lacking in belief. Yet the collective efforts of everyone involved in putting on these Olympics has created something so incredibly special, you feel so very proud to be British! Danny Boyle's Opening Ceremony was a masterpiece, brilliant, bonkers and so very British! He got it right by picking out all the things that make Britain great and creating his wonderful montage. 

The feedback from around the world is something to be proud of, here's what a few people have had to say about the Games:

"It's beautiful here. The weather's great; the people are awesome; the venues are great; everywhere I've been has been packed. I think it's some of the best Games" - Teresa Edwards, Team USA Head of Delegation

"We had a report back from the Association of Summer Olympic International Federation, and they can be pretty tough at times - where they said this was probably the best games they had ever been to" - Mark Adams, International Olympic Committee

The crowds packing out the stadiums are largely British but they'll happily cheer on all the nations - although the loudest cheers are naturally for Team GB! These Olympics have ignited the true British spirit and it's up for all of us to carry this on for years to come!

Inspire a generation! Part 1

So that's the first week of the London Olympics over and what a week it's been! Many thoughts rushing through my head which is why I'm here, seeing if I can capture them and see where they lead to. The first thing I have to say is how incredibly warm and friendly everyone seems to have become over the past week - there is a real buzz in the city that you can embrace or ignore (it's up to you). It's as if we've been sprinkled with gold dust and rediscovered how much fun it is to grin as we get behind our nation's sporting heroes - and the sporting heroes from the 203 other nations taking part in the Olympics! I was at the Women's Marathon yesterday and while Team GB had two runners, we didn't think it'd be a repeat performance of Saturday night. But the route was crammed with cheerers and flag wavers and every runner got the same rapturous applause, with some of the loudest cheers saved for the runner at the end of the race. The Team GB girls did get a thunderous reception, everyone around me whooping and hollering and shouting at the tops of their voices. It was a sight to behold! 


I have loved how you take up your spot at the side of a race and then get chatting to the people around you - the people of London happily chatting to random strangers, this really is remarkable! Or maybe it's that I like talking to random strangers (weren't we warned against this when we were kids?) and suddenly with the Olympics upon us, it's okay to strike up conversation with anyone and people will engage. I got chatting to a couple of ladies who were sheltering from the rain behind me. They had their cameras with them and I had a great spot and no camera so I offered to make room for them so they could get some good shots. We discovered a mutual love of running and races and shared our experiences, the conversation then moved along to taking things you love and turning them into your work - and we're going to stay in touch via Facebook!


It's not just me who's doing this though - the Olympics seem to be giving people the chance to strike up conversations and communicate with the people around them, people they might never speak to otherwise. I ended up watching the Men's 100m Final in some dodgy looking pub in the Elephant and Castle, the sort of place that hasn't been spruced up and gentrified and is the meeting place for generations of locals. This wasn't planned - I'd driven to the Elephant that morning and left the car there as I headed in to watch the Marathon. As I headed back south after the race and an afternoon with friends experiencing sound and energy healing, I forgot I had the car and took the Hipster Express back to Forest Hill - and just before I got off the train, realised that the car was still at the Elephant. Detour back there and all the while trying to work out if I'd have enough time to drive back to East Dulwich before Mr Bolt hit our screens. Time was getting tight and I decided to stay put at the Elephant which is how I ended up in the dodgy looking pub. I sat at the bar, looking up at the screen and heard this gruff voice behind me say "Is this the 100m final love?" and turned to find one of the locals also staring up at the screen. We got chatting about the Olympics and the incredible run of gold medals the night before and he kept telling me how fantastic these games were - we both felt very proud to be Londoners!


Last Wednesday I took my 14-year old nephew Adil to see the cycling time trail road race as it came through Hampton. We'd been to the Olympic Park on the Tuesday to see the swimming and as we wandered round the park and made our way to the Aquatic Centre, he said to me "this is awesome, thank you for bringing me" - I knew we had to experience as much of the Olympics as possible (hence the time trial the next day) - even though it meant him having to get up early again! We got to Hampton early and followed the crowds to find a good spot where you would be able to see both the Women's and Men's races. Once in place, we discovered that the ladies to the right of us were streaming the rowing on their phone and so we got to see Team GB win their first gold amongst a crowd of people. As we all jumped and shouted in celebration, the people opposite us realised what had just happened and you could see the ripple of celebration pass through the crowds! We chatted to the cycling fan from Cambridge who had followed Bradley Wiggin's career for quite a few years and the girl over from Canada supporting both Team GB and Team Canada. The incredibly organised mother and daughter team shared the list of riders with us so we knew who was coming next (my level of organising consisted of knowing where the race was and what time it started so we relied heavily on the information carried by those around us). Once the race started, Adil found himself giving photo taking advice to the lady next to him - she ended up getting some great shots following his tips. And while we all clapped and cheered every rider in the Women's and Men's race, for most people there, it was all about Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins. As Chris Froome came through Kingston, you could hear a crescendo of cheering well before you could see the motorcycle outrider just in front of him. He was past us in a flash but the crowds were going crazy! 


We only had to wait a few minutes more before man of the moment Wiggo came blazing through. The roar of noise that greeted him was deafening but I hope that just helps the performance, not hinders! Cheering, clapping, whooping and hollering - I think Adil may even have cheered a bit. The day before in the Aquatic Centre he expressed his excitement by lightly stamping his feet, none of the screaming and shouting and over-excitement of his aunt next to him! The atmosphere was exhilarating but once the final rider was past, it was time to head back to Waterloo with the herd of people all going  in that same direction. We'd been stood a few kilometres away from the end of the race so as we weaved our way back through the crowds towards the station, the race finished a little distance away. We knew we'd won gold by the cheer erupting  from the house we walked past - it was a special moment! As we got into London and I rushed over east for rehearsals for the Paralympic Opening Ceremony, the tube driver announced that we'd won two gold medals that day - and I felt flushed with excitement that I'd seen one practically happening. 


Saturday night and it was all about the athletics. I knew we were in with a chance for another two gold medals so to come away with three in the space of an hour was amazing! Jessica Ennis we salute you - what an incredible role model you are for young girls all around you, such an inspiration! I know the BBC are supposed to be impartial but when the BBC presenter said "Jessica Ennis we love you" I think he was captured the sentiment of the nation. And then it was all about Mo Farah in the 10,000 metres. But hang on, what's this happening? The Men's Long Jump final and a certain Greg Rutherford with his super unique starting style (loving the finger movements and the step back before he commences the sprint) looking like he's going to take another gold for Team GB. And he did it! Now, could it be a hat-trick for us? We watched that 10,000m race with bated breath, wondering if Mo Farah could out-run the African long distance runners. In the first few laps I wasn't sure, willing him to do it (along with millions of others) but wondering if he would. And then the bell to announce the final lap and what a tense time it was! We were all standing up, screaming at the TV "come on Mo, you can do it, keep going" and the giddying rise in excitement as he broke free to lead the race, closely followed by his friend and American training partner Galen Rupp. GB and USA take gold and silver and show the world that it is possible to break the dominance of the Africans in long distance running - what a moment, what a night! 


Straight after it was brilliant to see people take to social media to express what they'd just seen, history in the making! I think the world of social media where people have a running commentary on what they're watching on TV is a little strange but straight after the races, I was on Facebook. The comments and status updates were a delight, capturing the joy of so many I know. I loved the fact that some of the Olympic miserablists had been converted by the sheer excitement of what they'd seen, who would have wanted to miss out on such a moment? I would have loved to have been at the stadium but I think I may have spontaneously combusted with all the excitement so probably good to watch it at home. Others were inspired to take up some form of sport and it'll be fascinating to see what these Olympics do for the psyche of the nation. While our athletes were bringing us such immense joy, pride and excitement in the Olympic Park, over in Cardiff our overpaid arrogant footballers lost to South Korea on penalties. Oh dear oh dear, there is something topsy turvy in the world of sport....

Brighton Half Marathon - 17 days to go....

12 miles - where the endorphins really kicked in!

I get it, I get what this running lark is all about now, I can see why people get a little addicted to it. Never thought I'd turn into a running junkie but it appears to have happened. I'm actually looking forward to the Brighton Half Marathon and already thinking of my first Marathon - now will it be London, Paris or New York?

I did the 12 mile run last Saturday. If I'm completely honest, I was a little apprehensive about it. Not because of the distance but because I suffered so much after the 11 mile run the week before. I was concerned about feeling like that again. Plus I had a blind date (of sorts) the next day and I really didn't want to find myself walking like someone who was about 97. Nor did I want to struggle to stay awake. Post 11 mile run, I could barely move. A combination of extremely stiff muscles and immense tiredness. On the Sunday I didn't wake until after midday - I thought I was being lazy but I think my body was actually taking cover from attack! In between 11 and 12 miles, my training trailed off. I didn't choose that, it just happened like. Which meant that after the 11 mile run on the Saturday, I didn't run again until Wednesday (and it was little 3 mile run). I actually felt better for having a rest. Still didn't stop me from feeling mildly apprehensive about doing the 12 mile run, especially as when the day came, I was awake from 4 in the morning. Not due to the run - I've been waking at this time a lot recently - last week it happened 4 times. I've given up trying to fight it or get back to sleep - there's too much adrenaline so I've started doing work at 5 in the morning, sat in bed with my laptop - weirdly I seem to concentrate best if I'm up with the birds!

My last couple of long runs I've done in Dulwich Park but I decided to go back to Peckham Rye as I much prefer running on that open space. As I can't count laps or keep track of distance on the Rye, I thought I'd keep running for as long as I could before I checked my gizmo (the name I've given to the gadget to measure distance, time etc). I started running and found myself enjoying it somewhat. I kept running and running, oblivious to the distance I'd done. Somewhere around the 7 mile mark, I noticed a change - I felt like I could just keep going on and on and on. My breathing was much deeper, as if I was using bits of my lungs I'd never accessed before (or certainly not while running). I actually felt high and stayed this way until about the 10 mile mark. It did feel quite amazing! A bit like when I felt as if golden champagne bubbles were cascading through my body once when I was on my 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat. I guess these are the endorphins people talk about....

I was so into the running that by the time I checked my gizmo, I was close to the 9 mile mark. How did that happen? My legs weren't hurting, my lungs weren't hurting, everything felt very different to the previous week, particularly at distance. The last 3 miles were great and I listened carefully to what my body was telling me it wanted. Some lucozade as soon as I'd finished and a soak in the bath. I decided that it was time for a little bit of pampering - I'm asking so much of my body with all this running that I do need to give it a bit of tlc. I put some of the Arbonne re-mineralising bath soak in the water and then used 3 different scrubs (face, body and feet) for additional pampering. I don't normally like baths, well I do but I end up getting too hot and having to stand up to cool down again but not this time. The hot water heated up my muscles and it was just what I wanted. I was anticipating the big tired feeling after this but you know what, it never came. In fact I felt positively energised!

Post-run I had a think about why this one had felt so good. Not running so much in the week made a big difference. I've been following my training plan religiously but perhaps wasn't giving my body the rest it needed. A couple of days without running does work wonders. I know I can run the distance (even if I don't do it before the big day) - now it's all about finding out the things that help make it a great experience! I started doing some yoga every morning, maybe about 10 minutes of sun salutations A and B. A great way to start the day and the extended stretching in my legs stopped the muscles from contracting as soon as I finished my long run. The yoga also helped to build upper arm strength which meant my arms didn't ache while I was running. I also made sure I had pasta and bread the night before, increasing my carb intake and this clearly helped with my energy levels. It's been interesting learning these things as I go along, seeing how a run goes and then making changes - there is something to be said for tracking your progress, no matter what you do!

Just over two weeks to go. The focus has to be on fund raising now - my minimum target was £225 and I've reached that but the goal I've set for myself is £1000. And you know something, if I can get myself up to running a Half Marathon, I can certainly raise at least £1000 for Pass It On Africa!

Brighton Half Marathon - 9 miles, 10 miles, 11 miles....

Brighton Half Marathon - 29 days to go!

Although this is supposed to function as my online running diary, sadly I haven't written for the last three weeks. I have run though so at least I'm doing the important things! 4 weeks away from race day and I promise I will write more regularly. Since my last post, my running has progressed from 9 miles to 10 miles to 11 - each has been quite different so let me tell you about it.

9 miles - where I hit Runner's Wall

The week after my 8-mile run, I was feeling very off-kilter. I put it down to a very close friend moving overseas and me being more upset than I thought I would be. Either that or I was channeling her stress (and she had been very stressed) after the move, hence feeling absolutely dreadful. It's usually me who does the "going off on adventures" and this was the first time that someone so close to me emigrated (to Paris). Well my friend Simone did move to the UAE a few years ago but I was living in Ibiza at the time so I wasn't so affected. I digress, I'm meant to be talking about running. So, in the days leading up to my 9-mile run, I wasn't really feeling it. Training had been going so well, I would look at my training schedule, see the distance I had to run and go and do it. Simple. Not with 9-miles. I was apprehensive in the days leading up to it. I felt tired and the last thing I wanted to really do was run. The 9-mile day came and I got up and ready somewhat reluctantly and off I went.

As this was the first Saturday in January, I noticed something - lots and lots of people out running (you should have seen how many were out and about on the 2nd January!). Good old new year's resolutions - let's see how many are still running by the end of January - apparently (according to Tony Robbins) - 50% of people have given up their resolutions by the 15th January - very poor! This meant that the place where I normally run, a place where there are hardly any people was suddenly quite busy. I realised I don't really like running in busy places (not quite sure how I'm going to cope doing the Half with all those other runners but I'm sure the excitement will take care of that). I started and it felt more difficult than normal. There used to be a point where the first twenty minutes of a run would be quite uncomfortable, it felt as if my legs and lungs needed that much time to realise what I was asking of them. More recently, I'd noticed it hadn't been such a struggle - until now. I kept running but the thought most prominent in my head was "when can I stop?". I got up to 6 miles and called it a day, feeling quite disappointed. It's the start of a new year, there's all the excitement of how this year's going to be - and then I find myself unable to do something which a week or two ago would have been possible.

As soon as I got home, I sent a text to James, Pass It On Africa charity manager and official running coach, in a slight panic. Our exchange went like this:

Me - Help! I think I've hit runner's wall. Or runner's block or whatever it's called. Meant to do a 9-mile run and only managed 6! What do I do (can you detect a slight sense of panic here?)

J - Don't panic it happens to us all and we can talk about it on Tuesday (he was coming up to London for meetings and a work morning with me)

Me - Ok. Anything I can do in the mean time? Should I try again tomorrow?

J - Yes don't worry about it, have the weekend off and we can go for a run and talk about it on Monday evening or Tuesday.

Me - Ok cool!

J - No worries, have a good weekend and don't worry. You have loads of time and you are going to be great, trust me.

Me - Thanks!

After this exchange I felt a little better and did as I was told, took the weekend off and went on a 4-mile run on the Tuesday with James. We ran the course that people will be running at the HEROES RUN in April - it was quite exciting to see what the space looks like, will be even more exciting to see it full of people dressed as superheroes, running for a great cause and having a fun day out!

10 miles - where the power of Facebook made all the difference!

The week after my initial 9 mile attempt I decided to do it again. I was a week behind in my training but I'd still have enough time to get up to half marathon distance - so long as I nailed 9 miles this time. I really psyched myself up for this one. I decided to run somewhere completely different (Dulwich Park) and to listen to completely new music, to change it up as much as I could. I also wanted to run in Dulwich Park as I can measure distance. I know that once round the main track is a mile and I had this new gadget that measures the distance you run - I needed to check it to make sure it was working properly.

The evening before the run, my status update on Facebook said "9 mile run tomorrow morning *I can do it, I can do it, I can do it!* I was amazed at the supportive response from people - it makes all the difference! This is a tactic I've used before when I started my interiors business - by publicly declaring what you intend to do, somehow you make it happen! Or maybe you know you don't want to let down the people who've shown support so you make yourself do it. Clever tactics - they work. When I woke the morning of the run, I knew I had to run the distance. There'd been more messages in the night so I woke to words of encouragement. I set off to Dulwich Park, feeling much more confident. The weather was perfect, cold, crisp and sunny - ideal running conditions for me. I did one lap of the park and checked my gadget - 1 mile exactly. I knew that was working properly, it was a case of running now. I settled into a comfortable pace, listening to classic house tracks on my iPod.

Dulwich Park isn't my perfect choice as a place to run. I find it a little claustrophobic, you're constantly dodging runners, people and dogs. Lots of dogs, usually getting in the way. I decided not to pay attention to the things I don't like about running there in case it put me off. Head down, I ran and listened to House. I thought about all the people who'd left Facebook messages for me and felt that I was doing this run for them. I started off counting laps so I'd have an idea of distance. By 4 miles, I was so distracted by the music I was listening to, I forgot to count laps, just enjoying tunes that I love but hadn't heard in a while. Some of these songs are really inspiring, they make you keep going just when you start to flag a little. I've always believed in the power of music - here I was seeing it in action when running. If a song came on that was one of my favourites or had particularly inspiring lyrics (usually inspiring you to go higher, reach further etc), I literally did pick the pace up and feel amazing for it. I was so lost in music that I forgot to count laps. I decided to check my gadget at the point where I thought I'd done 5 miles - only to discover that I was at 7 miles. I was feeling good, I'd run further than I thought and I was only 2 miles away from 9 miles. And when things are going this well, what do you do? You run an extra mile of course and make it up to 10 miles.

So that's what I did, ran 10 miles. I felt very pleased - this was the distance I was meant to run according to my original plan, the one that didn't factor in hitting runner's wall at 9 miles. I felt good, in fact I felt positively ecstatic, especially as I'd got back on track with my training plan. When I announced to my proud parents that I'd just run 10 miles, my dad decided that he'd like to take up running too! Ace - he's 83 years old and wants to start running at this stage in life. It was a good feeling telling people that I'd done it! Using Facebook was great. I had two friends want to sponsor me, one offered to be a running partner and the other wanted to know how he could get involved with fundraising for Pass It On Africa. Fantastic! A few hours after the run, I did feel incredibly tired and had to take an afternoon nap for a couple of hours but apart from that, I generally felt really good!

11 miles - where I realised I need to stretch more

With training back on schedule, I did an 11 mile run today. Generally it went well. I had no idea how many people are in Dulwich Park on a Saturday running around or doing British Military Fitness classes - perfect people to promote our HEROES RUN to. I can see that I'll probably be spending a lot of time over the next two months dressed as my Cat Woman alter-ego promoting our race all across London!

After last week's success using Facebook for support and encouragement, I toyed with doing it again but decided this time just to get out there and run. It went well. There were times early on when I needed to give myself a pep talk but there comes a point where you think "I've run 6 miles, if I stop now the next time I go to do this distance, I've got to start all over again, these 6 miles count for nothing...". That realisation makes you keep going. As soon as I was over the halfway mark, I counted down how many laps I needed to do. There was also a fun run going on in the park for the second part of my run. Even though I was running in the opposite direction to their runners, every time I went past their tent and supporters, I took all their whoops and hollering for myself - I'm sure they didn't mind! The last couple of miles I really felt it in my legs. I kept going but as soon as I'd done 11 miles and stopped, I could feel my muscles contract and get really tight. The usual stretching I do didn't make that much of a difference and I longed to soak my legs in a hot bath. My muscles felt really tight all day, I walked stiffly and it made me realise that I need to get back to doing ashtanga yoga at least twice a week, just so my muscles can get a good stretch and stop them contracting in this way.

Enormous tiredness hit me again a couple of hours after the run. I know that between now and the race I have to pay close attention to what I'm eating. I'm not eating enough carbs (or the right carbs) or protein or drinking enough water so that has to change. I'm so close to the distance I need to run, I'm not panicking about the race ahead of me. This is good, it means I can focus on things like my diet and also the fundraising side of things. I'd set up my online fundraising page at the end of December but it was only this week that I filled it out properly, with my story, and made a point of promoting it as much as possible. I've found the traditional sponsorship form a really effective way of raising money - if you put a form in front of someone and ask "will you sponsor me?" - generally the answer is yes. I even had someone sponsor me £50 the other day which I was very excited about, a few more donations like that would be amazing! I also did an interview yesterday for a Sussex-based publication, talking about my half marathon story. I talked about my intention to raise £1000 for the charity - a little more incentive, now that it's going to be declared publicly, pushes you on to make sure you achieve it!

Something else I discovered this week - I really enjoying running in the evening after a day spent in front of the computer. I was meant to do a run on Wednesday morning before I went to work. Just as I was about to set out, I got a work call which I had to take. Once that was finished, running time had gone and I had to go straight to work. When this happens, it can be tempting to forget that run particularly as I knew that I wouldn't be able to run in the day. When I finished work at 6, I was feeling fairly knackered - normal for me if I've spent the day in front of a computer screen. However I decided not to miss my run, as soon as I got in I changed and went straight out again. As it was dark, I'd have to make do with running round the local Dulwich roads. I set off on a 4 mile run and found that I really enjoyed running at that time of the evening. Fewer people around (mainly other runners), easy to zone out into your own little world and I came back feeling positively energised!

Music I've been running to - I'd been of running to the same music over and over so I decided to change that last week. Since then I've been running to The Specials (ska is good to run to) and lots of early House classics. Some songs on my playlist have been:

That's The Way Love Is - Ten City

Where Love Lives - Alison Limerick

Promised Land - Joe Smooth

Tears - Frankie Knuckles

Follow Me - Aly-Us

Let Me Love You For Tonight - Kariya

Reachin' - Phase Two

You've Got The Love - The Source Featuring Candi Staton

Lift Every Voice - Mass Order

Someday - Ce Ce Rogers

Optimistic - Sounds of Blackness

The Masterplan - Diana Brown and Barrie K Sharpe

Got To Have Your Love - Mantronix

All This Love That I'm Giving - Gwen McCrae

Let No Man Put Asunder - First Choice

We Lift Our Hands In The Sanctuary - DJ Oji and Una

Believe - Soldiers of Twilight

Brighton Half Marathon - only 51 days to go...

Shocking - it's been over six months since I last posted. Well a lot's happened in that time - mainly that I was quite ill in July, August and September and October onwards has been all about getting better again. I now feel pretty fabulous and while it was horrible being ill, I think we've finally got those pesky wonky hormones under control!

Not much happened while I was ill - it's as if life shut down for three months. I stopped doing any sort of exercise and my daily challenges which got mentioned so much in my posts this year, they also fizzled out. But I'd really felt the benefits of both regular (daily) exercise and my daily good habits so I was determined to get back into a good routine again. It also plays a big part in me getting better and staying well so fairly essential. Anyway back in October, a friend posted on Facebook saying that she had signed up to do the Brighton Half Marathon in February 2012. As soon as I saw that, I thought "I want to do that too!" - even though I hadn't run for over 4 months and it would be like starting from scratch again. I remembered that the charity that organised the HEROES RUN in Brighton (the 10K race I'd done with a couple of friends in May) had places for the Brighton Half so the next morning I called Pass It On Africa and spoke to co-founder and Charity Manager James Macdonald. Luckily they had some places left so I put my name down and then had quite a long chat with James, saying how much I'd enjoyed the HEROES RUN and how I'd been really impressed with the work they were doing to raise funds to build schools in Africa. One of the things I'd really liked was that they kept admin costs down to a minimum so 70-80% of fundraising goes directly to the projects.

I mentioned some of my previous International Relations experience and the conversation ended with me offering to email my CV over to see if there was any way I could help the charity on a pro-bono basis. It's something I'd been wanting to do for a while and it felt as if the right charity appeared just when I was ready to take something on. I'm now an integral part of the team, working closely with the Chairman and the two co-founders and getting ready to bring the HEROES RUN to London for the first time ever! It'll be taking place on Sunday 1st April 2012 on Clapham Common and if you fancy donning a Super Hero outfit and running 5 or 10K for an incredible cause, click here to sign up.

Anyway, back to the title of this post - the Brighton Half Marathon - only 51 days to go... I know that because I set up my Virgin Giving page for sponsorship and the page kindly told me I had 51 days until the big event. Luckily I have been training fairly seriously for the last 4-5 weeks, otherwise knowing I had 51 days only might have put the fear into me. I wanted to start blogging again, in a somewhat regular fashion, and I thought doing a weekly Half Marathon diary might help. I have to say I've impressed myself with the discipline I've shown towards training (I even ran on Christmas Day in Cambridge) - I'm now running 4 times a week and adverse weather conditions have yet to deter me! The only reason I'm impressed is that discipline like this has never been one of my strong points. However I'm determined to do the race well and I know the only way I can do that is to train properly so I KNOW I can run the distance before I do the race. While I'm happy to wing some things, this is not one of those. Plus working so closely with the charity now adds an extra bit of grit and resolve to my running.

I also have no idea how I'll find the extra distance. I know that I can run 10k but anything beyond that and it's all new to me. I have no idea how my body will react or how I'll feel but that's one of the main reasons that I want to capture it here, as close to real time as possible. I like doing something where I have no idea how it's going to be and charting my progress as I go along. I've found running longer distances easier - once I get beyond 4 miles, it feels so much easier and I feel like I can float on for ages. I'm keeping a close watch on my feet - I have problematic feet and have had since I was a child. The only time I've stayed in hospital was for an operation on both my feet when I was 11. I have this weird bone that grows out of the side of both feet (on the inside), just above where your arches are. As a child it used to cause me untold pain and made both walking and running difficult. The operation was meant to get rid of the extra bone but over the years, its grown back again. Often when I'm running, I'll get a twinge on my left foot but it's never been so bad that it's stopped me so fingers crossed that's the extent of my foot concerns.

In the last two weeks, my long runs have covered 6 miles, 7 miles and 8 miles today. Well those are the distances I'm supposed to have run - I've got a little monitor that checks the distance, just need to set it up properly and I'm good to go. The 6-mile run was great. I was meant to do it on a Friday and whenever I looked out of the window, it was either pouring with rain, hail or snow. I left the run til the next morning and stepped out in sunshine and blue skies. Before I started training properly, I was a bit concerned as to how I'd find running in the winter but the weather has generally been glorious and I've found myself running on cold crisp days with a bright blue sky and sunshine - my ideal kind of running weather. Anyway I set off on my run and half-way through, the heavens opened and the rain came. I kept running. I knew that if I stopped now, that would set the precedent for the future - little bit of bad weather and I call it a day. I ran through the rain and just kept going and then the rain stopped. I was so elated by my lack of wussy behaviour I ran an extra mile!

The 7-mile run the following week was not quite so successful. In fact it's probably been my most difficult run yet. I'd been out the night before and eaten a large 3-course meal which really didn't help matters. I think I was also quite dehydrated. I was too hot very quickly and by the time I got to the Rye where I normally run, I was peeling off extra layers and my scarf. As I haven't got myself a suitable running bag yet, all these layers were tied around my waist and it was only a matter of time before they were falling off and tripping me up. In the end, I hid them all on a park bench and kept my fingers crossed that my little bundle of clothes wouldn't be discovered by anyone who might want them. I'm not sure who would want sweaty running clothes though... The run was further disturbed by needing the toilet - and having to wait until the local cafe opened so I could sneak in. Actually they're very good and always let me use the facilities when it's obvious I'm not a customer. I found the last bit of the running hard too. My hamstrings were starting to feel really tight and ache and that's never happened before - a sign that I need to get back into my ashtanga yoga practice to help with stretching - and stop my calves getting too bulky! They have expanded a little already...

Today's 8-mile run was good. Perfect running weather conditions for me and only had to stop once - again for a toilet break (need to sort that out). One thing I did find though, as this is the week between Christmas and New Year, I have switched off from work completely. Normally when I run, I've got work-related stuff going through my head which helps to distract me from the running, as does the music. My head was very empty of work stuff (so happy I can do that) which should have made for a Zen-like running experience - instead I was too aware of the fact that my right foot was hurting slightly and I had a little blister by the time I got home. Apart from that, all good!

Music I've been running to - I've always been a massive music lover and I think the tunes I listen to between now and the Half Marathon are going to be key, particularly when I do my long runs and increase the distance each week. When I was training for the 10k, the last couple of long runs I did (5 miles and 6 miles), I played Sounds of Blackness "Optimistic" over and over again - it kept me going! Michael Jackson's "Thriller" has been great on some of the shorter runs, anything between 3 - 5 miles. Norman Jay's "Good Times Volume 1 (side 2)" has also played a major part in keeping me going. And today I did my 8 mile run to Arcade Fire, starting with "Funeral" and then on to "Neon Bible". I need to think carefully about music selection and put together a 2-hour playlist (or choose some of my favourite songs and have them on repeat 3 or 4 times - I like to hear them over and over again!) - this is what will help to get me there!

My 30-day challenge - Take 2

How strange. After my last post about my 30-day challenge (when I'd got to Day 17), something happened and it all fell to bits. Literally the next day. I managed to keep up with things that day but by the following day, nothing was happening and I felt awful. My challenge went from being something I'd been finding really quite effortless (it was just a case of being organised and a bit of forward-thinking/planning) to something that felt like a very steep thing to climb. For no apparent reason that I could find...

I'd felt so amazing the first two weeks that I was expecting the last two weeks to be even better. Yet that was not the case. I thought that perhaps my wonky hormones had returned but not only were they still wonky, they were now back-to-front. Such confusion.

So I'm starting the challenge again from tomorrow. To see what it involves, click here. When I've finished this post, I'll get my little chart ready, tape it to the kitchen cabinet and off we go again. I have to admit, I do feel a little apprehensive about how I'll get on but I guess I just need to do it and keep going no matter what! The 30-day Challenge is exactly the same as before but I'm going to add in some daily exercise and see how I get on. I was doing this at the start of the year - I have no idea how I was getting up at 6 most mornings in January so I could go for an early-morning swim but it did happen! The main difference now is that I've been running a lot more these past few months (and in January I was lucky if I could run for 1 minute without needing to stop and walk for a bit) so running doesn't feel like such a chore, in fact at times I really enjoy it! And I've always loved swimming (and my Saturday-morning yoga) so the exercise part should be cool.

There seems to be something about getting past the 3-week mark. When I first did this in January, I got up to 3 weeks okay but then it fizzled out in the last week. It seems to have happened again. I wasn't expecting it to so I know to pay close attention once I'm half-way through. Other things I've noticed. My sleep quality has deteriorated in the past week. It takes me a lot longer to get to sleep and I don't feel quite so rested even if I've slept for a long time. I have absolutely no desire for dairy. I keep trying to tempt myself with some lovely ice cream but then I just think "meh no just don't feel like having it". I've even managed to resist the absolutely amazing home-made mint choc chip ice cream at The Palmerston. Normally I try and sneak a scoop or two at least once a week if I know any is in the freezer. A batch was made about a week ago and I've yet to taste it, I just don't feel like having it. And whenever I've had my beloved Galaxy chocolate (yes 3 bars have been consumed in the last month), I've not actually enjoyed it that much. I don't think I'm off chocolate so much as my taste buds becoming sharper, I think you can tell when you're eating something that perhaps doesn't have the best ingredients. Just need to find myself some superior quality chocolate to have from time to time! So even though my 30-day challenge didn't quite make it, there's still a lasting impact being made on my taste buds.

Wish me luck - my challenge starts tomorrow!