London marathon - number 60

It is neither big nor clever to run a marathon on a hangover. This is important. Marathons are a bloody long way and whether you've run 1 or 100, they can still bite you on the arse. Must have more respect. Still, I ran an easy 3'36 yesterday so I guess I got away with that one.

I was lucky enough to be at the green start, with "only" a few thousand runners. What this lacked in atmosphere, it made up for with ease of facilities, somewhere to hide from the mercifully brief downpour, and seconds to get over the startline. The celebrities were being paraded around in their paddock, a bit like animals in a zoo. "Ooh look Beryl, do you know what that one is?" "That's a lesser spotted Branson, Mavis." I didn't recognise any of them. It was great to bump into Aly from the 10 in 10, Mel, Sarah I ran some of Abo with, another Fetchie Sarah in her gingerbread man outfit and some other 100ers, it actually felt like quite a small race until a mile or so down the road when we merged with the blue start.

I wasn't bothered about times today as I knew it was going to be crowded, so was very relaxed about being held up, it was only meant to be a comfortable run and a 3'45. I wasn't paying much attention to my garmin, so was pleased to get through half way in 1'46, quicker than intended but it felt easy. The atmosphere was incredible, I used to hate all that cheering and screaming as it's a bit deafening and distracting, but if you're out for a good day then it's much easier to appreciate it. Some of the bands and PA systems belting out music were pretty special too, lots of spine tingling moments, you felt like you were part of something very precious. There was a huge bunch of supporting Fetchies at 13 at a self styled Fetchpoint which was simply superb, it was a tighter, slower patch along there, but I made sure I did a whole lot of whooping and arms in the air, didn't want them to miss me after all. Then it was an easy cruise through the next 9 miles until I got back to them, catching up with Dave and giving him some good-natured abuse, spotting some stray Fetchies on the Isle of Dogs, loving the drummers at Canary Wharf and really appreciating the brief spell of calm at 20/21m.

Legal highs.....

It was just brilliant to see Fetchpoint again, and I had to stop to give Frances a hug. Given they had given up their entire day to support us, the least I could do was stop to appreciate it. The cheers were great. Then it was only a couple of miles before I saw Mark at 24.5 and stopped for another hug. I dropped about a minute arsing about saying hello which cost me a PB but that was entirely fine, there's plenty of time for PBs and it's not often you see so many great mates during a marathon. By the time I'd finished looking out for Fetchies, there was only 1 1/2 miles left which is kind of when my race started, I hadn't been thinking about anything other than Fetchpoint until then!

I looked at my watch as I ran under a mile marker and it told me that if I put my foot down I'd squeak another PB. Then I saw Sarah again and yelled "come with me!" as I caught her, whoo, we were going to blat the last 1.2 miles! Then I passed the 25 mile marker. Oops, the one I thought was 25 miles was 40k. I wasn't going to get a PB so I'd started an entirely pointless kick rather early but now, having displayed such exuberance, I had to keep it going or I'd look like a right wally. That kick did end up with me coming in only 33 seconds slower than Brighton last weekend so it was still a very very nice result, plus by 6pm my legs would have been more than happy to run another one. If it weren't for all the booze that is, there must have been 30 or 40 of us piled in the pub and it was fantastic to celebrate so many great performances. Seeing everyone in there reminded me why running is such a leveller, you get people of all ages, from dentists to train drivers, from 2'40 racing snakes to 6 hour true endurance runners, all improving themselves, discovering unrealised levels of grit, motivation and strength, and all achieving the same shiny medal. Fabulous.

After you've run a marathon and necked several pints, a favourite parlour game is Punch My Abs. Don't try this at home, boys and girls..........

Brighton marathon

I wasn't best prepared for this marathon, after a skinful of wine on Friday night at the Fetchie social, and a hangover only conquered by another bottle of wine on Saturday, plus nowhere near enough sleep, I was only fit for a comfortably paced run. My brain was so pickled that even though I'd taken my garmin and charger out of my bag, I'd forgotten to plug it in, so I was entirely watchless. That made it a good opportunity to see what time my comfortable pace gets me to, I had wanted to run 3'45 but this way it would just be entirely what my legs and hangover(s) dictated. 

The organisers had made Brighton a superb inaugural event, apart from a delayed race start, it all went off without a hitch. The only things I would have liked to have seen were a clock at the startline and at the half way point so the forgetful and watchless had some idea of their time. It did make it quite relaxing though, you can't fret about splits or average pace or PBs or anything. There were lots of humorous touches: before we'd even hit one mile, we ran under a banner saying "highest point on the course", and there were plenty more saying things like "runners know beer tastes better when sweaty" to raise a smile. I particularly liked the gantry they'd erected at 20 miles that looked like a solid wall of bricks with a few holes in it, covered in "hit the wall" graffiti, though it may have just finished a few runners off..... And the 21 mile marker was funny, stuck on the most enormous crane I've ever seen, never run under a crane before. The DJ just after it was very encouraging too, and perfectly positioned at the hardest point of the course, if you're having a bad race, it was just at the point when you start to wonder if it will ever end.

The route was great, with lots of out and back sections where you could spot your mates coming the other way. It was a bit like a reunion, shouting at Fetchies and 100 clubbers. This was the first time in ages that I'd done such a well supported event and I'd entirely forgotten how uplifting it is. I had a Fetch top on and there were loads of shouts of "Go Fetchie!" which was great, but what really surprised me were the number of people who knew my name. I discovered later that a couple of them were Fetchies whom I couldn't pick out among the crowds but it was a bit funny, like being a celebrity! All the shouts really made my day, I was grinning through so much of the race. The bunch of triathletes on the seafront were a notable highlight, as I went past, one yelled "looking good!". His mate yelled "looking VERY good!" and then another of them bellowed "MARRY ME!" as I'd gone past, not sure which of them it was but if I hadn't been running so strong I may have gone back to see if he meant it...

Cruising past the spectators

It was a beautiful day to run a marathon, lovely spring sunshine and not too hot, and happily very little wind for being on the seafront. I ran alongside a few people in places, a rather good-looking bloke in a black t-shirt running his first who I had a nice chat to and was still strong at 19ish, and a very tall, also rather dishy rugby player, also running his first, who was looking great. Good hunky runner count today.. I lost him at 17ish so I hope he had a good race. I'm still amazed at anyone running their first in sub 4 hours, my first was 5'10.. The last couple of miles were extraordinary, the field had really thinned out so I was by myself for quite a bit and running down a gauntlet of tightly packed, yelling, cheering hordes made me feel like the winner, it was massively uplifting.

In spite of a few inclines in the first half, this was a really fast course and a lot of people posted some very nippy times. Running comfortably, I had no idea what my time was. I thought it had taken me about 60-90 seconds to cross the start line, and I crossed the finish line in 3'37'30, so I knew it was a PB, just not exactly what it was, 3'36 most likely. Anna's OH looked up the results on his iphone and discovered my time was 3'34'09, which seemed very toppy but I'd take an official time. However, turns out it was 3'36'13, which is superb, about 90 seconds off my PB without trying hard and having no idea of pace. It would seem that my natural pace is a bit quicker than I thought, and that I'd probably been holding back a bit lately. Nice 1'47'30 and 1'48'43 splits too, good even pacing with no garmin, and I can in as 47th of 2,497 female finishers, top 2%!!

It was the perfect finish to a marathon afterwards - I managed to change into non-sweaty clothes in a reasonably discreet spot, though my lack of planning meant this was an LBD (the barmaid wouldn't believe I'd run the mara until I pointed out the salt on my face), discovered a job lot of usable lotions and potions in the goody bag to accompany a cracking medal, caught up with lots of people and wrestled through the crowds to the pub. It was as packed as Linford Christie's knickers by now. A few pints on the beach with Fetchies and 100 clubbers to celebrate lots of great times and Anna's 100th marathon, and her huge PB, and a great day in the sunshine, a top Sunday all round.

Closing straight, full on grimace and is that a hint of abs??

And it's now about 2 1/2 weeks to go until the 10 in 10 starts. I'm really looking forward to having a good crack at the world record now, so please sponsor me to add a bit more encouragement. Gadget link thingy at the top of the page. Thank you!

Connemara Double Marathon - Day 2

On Sunday morning, I felt good - the legs were fine, energy levels were good and I'd slept reasonably well so, apart from a dicky stomach, everything looked favourable. The weather gods were smiling on us too, with bright clear sunshine, and the wind had dropped - hurrah! We were bussed up to the start to sit around for about 90 minutes, this was my only gripe about the weekend as there was nowhere for a cup of tea or any shelter, so thank heavens it wasn't cold or raining. The start was even more stunning than yesterday with the lake like a mirror reflecting the mountains.

A couple of pretty nippy ultra runners went past before we started, having run their extra 13.1 miles in 90 minutes. Allan was in the ultra too, and Michael and I were fractionally concerned about his threat to slap us on the arse as he passed us, he claimed he was going to run the first 13 in 1'40 leaving him only 10 minutes down. That was enough to make it seem like he was breathing down our necks and acted as a compelling motivator, we knew we would never live it down if we got dropped..

My targets were as follows: 4'08 = a tolerable average of 4 hours / day, 4 hours = nothing more than ok,  3'52 = equal to yesterday and a good result, any better than 3'52 = excellent, but theoretically the correct result as conditions were better and, at this stage, I shouldn't be slowing down on day 2.

So I started confidently, making the most of the easier first 6 miles and going through the first half in 1'49, 1 minute up on yesterday. The second half was where I could get the time back on yesterday since 1'50 is my standard first half pace. Yesterday I dropped 12 minutes up the hills and into the wind and on a still day I should be able to claw a bit of that back.

There were some real boosts in this race - a cyclist who passed me shouting "Yeah baby!" in proper Austin Powers fashion, another cyclist who recognised me from Runner's World, the look on runners' faces when you were have a bit of a chat, they asked if you'd run this one before and you replied "yesterday". And by the time we got to half way, the 1/2 mara runners had set off 19 minutes before so there was opportunity to catch some of them. It turned out there were hundreds of walkers to pass, and a lot of runners by the end. It's not very charitable but it picks you up to be moving quicker than the people around you.

I made a point again today of running all of it, particularly the hills, as walking sends your time plummeting. Without the headwind, it was much easier, and it was possible to run strongly off the top of the hills today rather than yesterday where even when the incline had eased off it still felt like you were running through a wall. It was much easier to maintain my pace, I'm feeling very strong at the moment. However, before the last hill at 23 miles, I didn't have much idea of my finish time, it could have easily finished me off.

The last hill was hard work, it went on for over a mile and was a long old drag. Good strength training though! When I got to the top, I knew I'd better yesterday's time if I kept concentrating - my attention was wandering a bit and the pace begining to drift off. A mental slap round the face sorted that out, plus the reminder that if Allan passed me, he was going to slap me very hard on the arse and give me a serious amount of abuse. He was NOT going to pass me in the last few miles. It was less than 20 minutes to go and, in one of my favourite sayings, any %^&* can run 2 miles. A few minutes out from the finish, I realised a sub 3'45 was on, so I pushed it a bit to cross the line in 3'44'34, an absolutely astounding result. On a tough course and on day 2, with people flaking out from the heat all over the place, I'd knocked 8 minutes off and had a blinder of a run, and finished feeling really strong. I was delighted.

I then received a text saying "Connemarathon prize winner. Please go to the finish area to collect your prize." Cool! A marshall said, "Oh yes, you're second or third lady, I'll go and get a camera and your crystal." Brill! Then she came back and said, "Sorry, I got it wrong. You were 3rd in your age category and there's no prize." Oh well! Still a great result, and I was 10th lady overall (of 120).

Very very happy with 100 miles in 6 days, averaging 8'36 / mile, with 2 very solid back to back marathons and a pair of surprisingly fresh legs. Two more good weeks of training, Brighton and London maras and then taper. I'm really looking forward to the 10 in 10 now!


As you may be aware, I'm raising funds for the Brathay Trust who put on both the 10 in 10 and the Windermere marathon in May. It's their biggest fund raising event of the year, so please help me make a good contribution to a very worthy cause. Link up top. Thank you!



How about this for a race start?!

Connemara invitational - Marathon Double Day 1

This week was the closest approximation to the 10 in 10 so I was hoping for a peak in my mileage and a couple of solid back-to-back marathons. I missed Easter Monday's opportunity for any miles, being laid low with crippling period pains (at least the timing means it'll be well out of the way for the TiT) but was on for 100 miles in 6 days. It's important psychologically: if I can manage this alongside work at a good pace and not be too knackered or sore, it would really boost my confidence.

The weather's been great, so I ran 10 miles outside on both Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at 8'57 minutes per mile and 8'51 pace, topping Tuesday off with a brisker 5 miles at 8'00s in the gym. Thursday was a tough day - 10 miles of speed/endurance intervals in the morning then 5 miles at 8'00s in the evening again. The intervals have really helped me to maintain pace over a longer period and I'm sure have contributed to my recent stronger marathons. It's 9 x 1 mile at 7'30, then 45 seconds recovery at 8'30 pace, deliberately little recovery to make it tougher. It's a beasting (and probably not recommended by coaches) but it works for me and I love the sessions. Friday was a bit of a trudge after 2 hours of hard work so was a steady 8 miler at 9'30s.


Saturday was the Invitational Connemara marathon. It's a good thing I'm so relaxed about these things now as I knew next to nothing about the race other than "it's definitely on". Luckily, Allan, Jim and John were staying at the same B&B so they gathered me up for breakfast at MacDonald's before heading down to race HQ at the Marriott. It was a small but fabulous group of runners in the Invitational (you get a place by knowing the race director, or knowing someone who does, Jim sorted us out):


Allan Rumbles - one of my best marathon mates, ran his 100th at Zurich on New Year's Eve, recently ran the 80 mile Oner over insane terrain in 21 hours
Jim "Manic" Mundy - a former TiT, ran his 100th in a dress, sorry, Hermes outfit, now on c.225 maras
John Dawson - another former TiT, running strong at 72 years old, tremendously inspiring and on his 350th mara
Michael Grehan - another 100 club runner, a total rock in my hideous Beachy/Greensands/Dublin triple and one of the loveliest men you'll ever meet
Steve Edwards - 3 x TiT, full of wisdom and advice and accompanied by the fabulous Teresa, and running his 499th and 500th marathon this weekend, all sub 4 and most sub 3'30, a real legend
Larry whom I hadn't met before but arrived having milked his cows, then had to rush off afterwards to milk them again, two other TiTs Mark and George, Fetchie Graeme who went on to run a great time in the ultra, me and a couple of other guys. 12 in total, only one girl. I was going to be first lady, and last lady, depending on your point of view.

L-R: John, Larry, Graeme, ?, ?, me, Allan, Manic, Steve, Michael, Mark, Teresa (Steve's fabulous OH) as en route support, George

The aim was sub 4 for each day and I anticipated the course to be similarly difficult to Windy. As it turned out, the second half was tougher and the wind today made it a monster. The first 6 miles were opportunity to bank some time so I was running at about 8 mm for this bit. What I didn't anticipate was quite how stunning it would be. I can't do the scenery justice, mountains and glacier lakes and wide open blue skies with hardly a cloud to be seen. Incredible. And to be warm enough to merit shorts and crop top, in April, in Ireland, is just a blessing! Within 2 miles I was by myself; Steve and George were leading, followed by Mark, then Allan, Graeme and Michael in the following pack. You needed a fair bit of resilience and experience to run 24 miles of that marathon entirely by yourself, it gets quite lonely out there, but it was a good test of my resolve.

Steve and George on the lonely but stunning route

The headwind was a beast today, most of the second half was into the face of it and it was like trying to run through a wall, terrifically hard work. When it dropped, the stillness and quiet was sublime, and I was coasting along loving the views. It feels like I run with my abs and lower back now, having worked on that area for a while, it feels so much easier to keep strong and controlled there and let the legs use momentum. I get no pain in my legs now after a single marathon, a bit of tiredness, sure, but no soreness. Something's working.

I went through the half way point in 1'50, plenty of time in hand in case of disasters. Turned out I needed it, at 13.5 miles, we hit the first serious hill, it went on and on and was into the teeth of the wind. I was NOT going to walk the hills today and was proud I didn't, but it required a bit of yelling at myself after a while. This wind, sorry to keep going on about it, was deafening and very testing and just relentless. But the scenery, two support cars, random cars waving and slowing down for a few encouraging words, and the cute lambs all helped put a positive spin on things.

I passed Mark suffering with his glutes (a sore arse in any other words), and George who'd gone out a bit too hard and was happy that noone caught me. After a long and arduous drag up from 23 miles to the top of the pass, the last 2 miles were blissfully downhill and flat into the valley with a chance to really drink in the view. I finished in 3 hours 52 minutes, very very happy given how tough I found the conditions. I'll think about tomorrow tomorrow!

Bletchley Enigma marathon - a very dull race report

We ran around a lake, and then into a headwind down a canal. At 14 miles, we turned around and ran back. It rained in the last half hour. I was exceptionally bored. The good thing about boredom is it encourages you to put more effort into your running to get it over with sooner, but god only knows how GUCR runners can tolerate 150+ miles of canal. At least it's dark for several hours overnight I guess.

This has to be my most accurately run race, advertised at 26.88 miles and clocked on my Garmin at 26.88 miles, and my finish time of 4'11 wasn't brilliant but is nothing to complain about. Well done to my mate Dave Bayley, a fellow 10 in 10 runner, for making his first marathon go so smoothly, his marshals were particularly stalwart. Starting and finishing the race by the pub was a great move, it was lovely to see so many Fetchies and 100 Marathon Clubbers, and thanks to Amanda for chatting at me for much of the first half, sorry you didn't get much back!

10 in 10 training is entirely responsible for causing me to run marathons so dull I almost fall asleep and fall into the canal. It's not all chocolate boxes and roses (who said that?), so please reward my dedication/stupidity with a small donation to Brathay. Link up top. Thank you!