Back to the marathon
You might remember from the beginning of the year that my 2014 running plan of running a marathon went horrendously wrong when I injured my IT band in both legs.
Although it put me out of running for the best part of two months, I was determined that it wasn’t going to be the end of my goal, although it was painful to see my Manchester Marathon number arrive!
Over the last few months, I’ve slowly been training towards the Chester Marathon, which is held on Sunday 5 October.
And slow really is the correct word; I’ve deliberately set my pace at slower than 10 minute miles, which would add nearly half an hour to my overall marathon time.
I’ve also been less rigorous with my mid-week runs, both with distance and with pace. In fact whilst I was in Glasgow, my weekend long runs where the only ones I did.
I was a little nervous last week when I went up to 15 miles as that’s when my injury developed last time.
But I got through it running alongside the canals of Birmingham – although I did wonder where exactly I was at the time!
Over the last week I’ve found that my legs are getting back towards my pace pre-injury and found that I’m beginning to get faster in both my mid-week runs and my longer runs.
I’ve just got to slow myself back down – after all, I’ve got another 5 weeks of 18+ miles to go. I’ll save the speed for the big day!
Regaining my running mojo
Today I should have been posting about my successful marathon experience around Manchester and how much I enjoyed it (or otherwise).
But the truth is I haven’t been to Manchester today, and I certainly haven’t run 26.2 miles.
It all went wrong in February when my first proper running injury – my iliotibial band – knocked me from completely running for about 3 weeks.
Added to that, I was knocked sideways by a chest infection which meant I didn’t want to move from the sofa for a week.
Despite getting over my illness and some interferential therapy for my injury (being zapped in the legs), the result was that I lost my running mojo.
Quite simply, I didn’t want to go out, especially knowing my Manchester marathon was pretty much over weeks before the race had even started.
Even writing my blog was difficult, hence the lack of updates since the end of January.
So how am I getting over it? It’s taken time and focusing on a new goal.
I’ve been setting up a running group in Birmingham for LGBT runners – the Birmingham Swifts – and helping others with their planned runs.
It’s made me get my running shoes back on and enjoy going out again.
I’m still determined to do a marathon this year and have been long at autumnal events so watch this space to find out more.
But congratulations if you’d been out running a marathon today (or over the next few weeks).
And if you’ve lost your running mojo, be patient. It’ll come back, I promise.
Jantastic marathon running
How the New Year comes around so fast!
Before Christmas I revealed what my goals are for 2014, including running the Greater Manchester Marathon which takes place on 6 April.
It’s almost three months away, so I’ve already started training for it – a 16 week plan that I’ve borrowed from Potters Trotters and Hanley parkrun director Liz Tideswell who used the same one for her first marathon last year.
Just as I got used to the idea of running four times a week in the first week, along came the Christmas period, which meant that weeks two and three of the plan had to be adapted a little and a few runs lost.
But I’m already running 10 miles in my long runs – which seemed crazily long this time last year – and it won’t be long until that’s upped to 15 and then 20 miles!
To encourage me to keep on going for those runs during the cold weather (which let’s be honest hasn’t really hit yet), I’ve signed up for Jantastic from the people at Marathon Talk.
All you have to do is set a goal for the first three months of the year – firstly how often you’ll run in January, then how long you’ll run for in February and finally what time you’ll set at the end in March.
It’s a motivational tool, and with marathon training I think you need all the motivation you can get!
You don’t have to be aiming for a marathon to take part – have a look at some more info by visiting their website.
As with my running challenge last year, I’m raising money for Saving Lives, a HIV awareness charity aiming to improve testing rates and reduce onward transmission.
Unlike my half marathons, I haven’t got a time that I’m aiming for in my head – to be honest I’m still used to the idea that I’ll be running for over four hours in one go!
Please take a look at my fundraising page, and if you can spare some money to donate it will be greatly appreciated.
Looking back on 2013
2012 might have been the year of British sport, but I think 2013 was my year of sport (who’d have thought I’d ever have said that a few years ago!) – and when better than December to reflect on how it went.
One of the best things near the beginning of the year was joining Manchester Frontrunners and becoming a club runner.
Although I was only running with them for a short time before my move to Birmingham, it was great to run with a group and to have the mental push to go for a run.
I was one of 5,000 runners who went back to the Olympic Stadium to run in the National Lottery Anniversary Run – 5 miles around the Olympic Park and finishing on the track.
If that wasn’t magical enough, it was the first time my parents and my boyfriend had the chance to watch me race – and the roar from the stadium was immense!
I took part in my first half marathon in the Potters ‘Arf, running in one of the hottest days of the year.
I smashed the two hour target I’d set myself, and the bronze medal I got for doing so is most definitely the ‘prize’ of 2013 I’m most proud of.
Then, later in October I ran the half marathon around Birmingham city centre, with a time of 1:44:35 and managed to raise over £550 plus gift aid for the HIV awareness charity Saving Lives.
But the ‘event’ I’m most proud of is Hanley parkrun; leaving there as Event Director was one of the hardest moments for me this year.
I still check up on them though, reading every run report, and one of my first runs in 2014 will be with them at their re-launch on their slightly modified course.
Finally, I was invited to Glasgow to have an interview to be a volunteer at next year’s Commonwealth Games.
In the last few days I’ve found out I’ve been accepted, and I’ll provisionally be in the press operations team at the SSE Hydro, looking after netball and gymnastics!
A few shortcomings
Not everything in the year went brilliantly though, and I didn’t achieve all four goals I set out at the start of the year.
Whilst I met my target of running 15 parkruns, having left Hanley parkrun I should have managed to run more of them – so that’s something that’s being addressed in my goals for 2014.
The one target I didn’t achieve was to race a 10k time under 52 minutes, with the closest being at the Air Products 10k with 53:37.
I was hoping to beat it at the Telford 10k earlier this month, but a new working rota meant I couldn’t attend.
But I know I could do it – my 10k split time in the Great Birmingham Run was 48:48 – but for the time being I’ll have to accept my 10k time won’t be changing until next year.
2014 goals
I’ve thought a lot about what I want to achieve next year through running.
parkrun continues to be an important component of it, and in 2014 I want to achieve my 50 Club T-shirt, which means I need to run on 27 Saturdays.
I also want to improve my speed over 5km and 10km, and I’m going to set targets of 20:30 and 43 minutes respectively.
Both of these are pretty large chunks off my time, so if I can get close to them I’ll be pretty damn happy!
Finally, I want to run a new event which – as you might have guessed – will be the marathon distance.
In fact, I’ve already entered the Greater Manchester Marathon and with it taking place in April, I started my training last week for it!
I’ll be doing a proper post about how it’s going in a few weeks time – let’s just hope I can train alongside Christmas first!
Merry Christmas to you all, and may 2014 be your year of running
Great Birmingham Run 2013
Blue skies greeted me on the morning of Sunday as I awoke for the Great Birmingham Run.
However, by the time I’d got my stuff together, eaten some porridge & a banana and headed out the door at 9:30, grey skies were beginning to loom over the Mailbox.
I was beginning to doubt if I could run the half marathon under 1hr 45mins as I hadn’t completed as many training runs as I’d like to have done, mostly because I hadn’t made time for them.
The only sign of encouragement I had was that I’d run the fastest mile last week, in 6:45 no less. If I could run that over a mile, I could run 13.1 miles at 8 minute mile pace, surely?
I headed over to the start with running friend Tom Garlick, who not only was running late, hadn’t yet pinned his race number on or got his timing chip on.
Sorting Tom out meant a hurried goodbye to my boyfriend (also called Tom!) who would be watching me, and also no time to properly say hello to Bobbie & Meg Hickman and Liz Tideswell from Hanley parkrun who saw me in Paradise Forum.
In fact, by the time we’d made the pen where the thousands of orange wave runners were being held, there was less than 10 minutes to go until the start.
I’m glad I decided to stretch then rather than wait for the first few runners to go; despite being late we’d somehow made it into the first group to leave, just a few minutes behind the elite runners!
I’d wanted to be a bit nearer the back (it’s nicer to be passing runners rather than be passed by them) but I didn’t really get a choice – just a chance to get a gap to the runners in front before crossing the start line!
The white wave heads off (I was in the orange wave, so you won’t find me here!)
The first mile heads off around Paradise Circus (one of the city centre’s busiest roundabouts), past Victoria Square and down towards New Street station.
I then headed round the Bullring and past the Hanley parkrun support team of Millie & Bryn Holmes and Meg Hickman who cheered me on.
By the time I got to the first mile marker and looked at my watch I got a little concerned – I’d run it in just under 7 minutes!
I forced myself to slow down as I ran through an industrial estate to be closer to my target pace; as I headed toward the dual carriageway and the second mile, I felt a bit more on top of my running pace.
So I was roughly a minute up on my target time after two miles, but I did notice that my Garmin was bleeping about 20 or so metres before the mile marker.
That meant I was probably only 40 seconds up on my time (perception of time is quite weird when you’re running) and I couldn’t let up yet, especially as there were still hills to come.
As I approached the quarter distance mark, the wind began to pick up and across the course, with the grey skies seeming to get darker. Maybe it was a metaphor that I wouldn’t make my target time.
Just after mile 4 I reached the first real hill, which was a steady slight incline, but having rounded a left hand turn the course went back downhill, where I picked up some more time.
Suddenly the sky seemed brighter as I reached the fifth mile and I headed towards Bournville, the home of Cadbury’s chocolate.
Sadly there was no time to stop in and pick up some free samples, I was close to half way and turning back around.
A big thank you to the lady that was just before the 10km mark (roughly half way) who was giving away jelly babies – I managed to grab a few and use them as energy as I powered through the next mile.
I later found out I’d completed that 10k in 48:48 (my aim for the year was 52 minutes!), so my first half of the race was pretty strong. You might say too strong…
One of the unusual things about the half marathon in Birmingham is that it doubles back on itself for two sections along Pershore Road, meaning you can see the other waves of runners run toward you.
As I was running along that part, I saw Hanley parkrun regulars Paul Hickman and Liz Tideswell – both of whom looked pretty strong as they were heading towards Cadbury’s.
After 9 miles, the route turned us right past Edgbaston cricket ground, and then into Cannon Hill park.
It was good to run off the road and on a section of path I’d used before for parkrun, although this time it was filled with thousands of other runners and a radio station.
However, it was after coming out of the park and around mile 10 that I started feeling a twinge in my right hamstring.
And it began to get progressively worse as I turned left back on to the dual carriageway and under the other runners still streaming by at mile 2.
However, I thought that I was around a minute faster than my target time, which meant I had time in hand to cope with my leg and for the hill coming up.
It began to show its face not long after (the hill, not the strain!); a slow steady incline that started on the dual carriageway and didn’t stop for another mile.
Even the music playing alongside of the Proclaimers weren’t helping – I mean I wanted to run, not walk 500 miles!
The twinge in my thigh was joined by the feeling of blisters forming on my feet; there’s nothing better to distract you while you’re running!
My pace had really slowed by the time is reached the top of the hill, but thanks to the speed I had earlier I think I was on course for my 1hr 45 but I wasn’t sure despite having my Garmin on.
But as I reached the final mile (and another round of jelly babies) the sun began to poke out from behind the clouds and I realised that I COULD do this but it was close – the last mile would have to be faster than my target pace.
I’d dealt with all the inclines and I could cope with the blisters; now I just needed to run towards Broad Street and Birmingham’s new library despite my hamstring still giving me the odd twinge.
To help me on my way I could see Tom who I’d started with up ahead, and I was determined to pass him, even if I knew his sprint finish was incredible.
As if that wasn’t enough encouragement, the crowds really swelled once I’d past Five Ways and got onto Broad Street.
On both sides of the road, people were cheering on us runners; thanks to my running vest they were also shouting out my name in encouragement!
I just about passed Tom, but as I’d expected he stormed past me again with a few hundred metres until the line.
But I couldn’t let that get me down, because just there on the left hand side I spotted my Tom in the crowd!
He shouted out to encourage me on and we high-fived before I set my sights on the finish gantry just a few metres away, with the orange wave clock counting on at 1hr 47mins.
I was sure that my chip time would show I was under my target so I gunned it for the finish and nearly fell over someone who had stopped right after the finish line – elegant I know!
In fact, my finish was broadcast live on Channel 5 (as the whole race was) – you can see it on demand by clicking here and skipping to 1:36:20.
It was some of the hardest running I had done across the 13.1 miles – I barely even had the energy to bend over and pull my timing chip off.
I hardly remember anything of the 10 to 15 minute wander from the finish to the library where I collected my goodie bag including medal and chocolate, had a few stretches and a free sports massage thanks to Bupa and University of Birmingham.
A big thank you also to my boyfriend – not only did he take some photos and encourage me on, but he even had a towel and a G&T waiting for me when we found each other. Bliss!
And my official time? I knew as soon as I saw Tom as he’d received a text message: 1:44:35 – just inside my target!
So a big thank you to everyone who had donated to my charity, Saving Lives – together we managed to raise over £550 (plus gift aid) to raise awareness and testing rates of HIV.
If you want to make that total even higher, donations are still open – visit here for more details.
I thought of all my donors at some point whilst I ran those miles, and how to persuade you to donate for my next big running challenge in 2014!
But that’s for another year, for now I’m going to have a week or so off running before planning what’s next.
Bring it on!
Tommy Running 