Drawing a line in the sand

Sadly, this is not a literal post. I am not on a beach somewhere wildly exotic, a local lethal cocktail next to me and a punkawhallah with palm leaves in hand, cooling me down. I’m in good ol’ Blighty in my little home writing this but don’t let that detract from the topic!

My first post of 2015 had a lovely response. On publishing it, I was slightly concerned that it had unintentionally come across as a bit ‘woe is me’ but thankfully it was not read that way and the comments on the blog, via FB, text and email were nothing but supportive and encouraging. This is one of the reasons I love blogging and social media in general – like minded people, supporting and encouraging like minded people! Keep that shit up likeminded people, its ace – and so are you!!

The week after ‘the blog post’ I ran my first no-pressured run of the year and I had promised myself that I would run with my heart and not my head. No time pressures, try not to look at my damn Garmin every 5 mins, don’t try and keep up with others as they are all running their own race/event, and last but most importantly, ENJOY it! The event was the Chilly 10k, a multi-lap run at Castle Combe race circuit. Urgh. I am not a fan of multi-laps as it psychologically messes with my tiny brain but I was trying to adopt, embrace, and put to the test, this new mindset. I met up with my running buddy Lorain and her sister Ragin who were also running and we met just as the race briefing was hollered at us through the loudspeaker. Then it was a short walk from the paddock onto the race track and we were soon lined up and ready for the off. Repeating calm, soothing thoughts to myself and trying to listen to my music more than my laboured breathing was a real challenge. It’s a race, people compete. It’s what we hooomins do. There are people there to prove many different things to themselves or others, on their own journey, completing their own challenges and doing their own thing. And this was what I had to remind myself as I plodded around. Everyone is doing their own thing. And I should only concentrate on my own thing.....so I tried to keep myself in check and just run. The results were interesting. My splits were erratic, as the nature of me is to try and pick people off as the miles tick by and I started to do just this, and then checked myself to just run it, hence a wibbly-wobbly pace. That said, I did have my eyes set on a chap a few hundred metres in front of me who I used as a pacemaker; if I kept him in my sights, I would be happy. My mind was a tad numb from the lack of inspirational or stimulating scenery and it wandered, contributing to the erratic splits. I think there was even a jazz-hands-sing-out-loud moment to try and break the monotony (I’m painting a bit of a bleak picture, it wasn’t that bad, as race tracks go; not sure I’ve mentioned it but multi-lap races are just not my thing!) Back to the chap running a bit in front of me. I caught him up with about ¼ mile to go. And I was hot on his heels as we entered the slightly winding, funnelled finishing bit. I managed to tell him, in a slightly breathy-gasping manner that he was my pacemaker and he had to get me to finish. The race was on and he challenged me hard to the finish line, the bugger! Garmin stopped, high five to my unofficial pacemaker (there’s a bit of footage of this and it makes me smile when I watch it!) and a time check. Only 14 seconds slower than my 10k PB. I officially ran happy!

And since then, I’ve made a concerted effort to ‘switch off’ from pacing my runs. Work has been manic and it’s hard to fit in structured training at times. It’s therefore been pleasantly surprising to find that taking the pressures off of myself has resulted in some really enjoyable runs and most surprisingly, some pretty speedy times too. Just last week, I knocked out a 3 mile run with splits of 09:26, 08:17 and 07:03. An almost 7 minute mile!! HELL YEEEAAAH!! And this I love. I don’t care if I don’t ever repeat that time as I know I did it and can do it – even if my legs felt like they didn’t actually belong to me. (Doing it for more than one mile may be a challenge but hey ho, I’ve done it!) Yes, I have a few running events to train for in the coming weeks and months but I aim to enjoy them rather than ‘smash’ them and I’m looking forward it. No pressure other than to finish.

It is early days but I definitely feel that I am getting back to rediscovering my love of running and once again enjoying the benefits of running for me. So, I may not be sat on a beach with a spade in hand physically drawing my line in the sand, but believe me, the line is drawn!

I give up!

Let’s just gloss over the fact that I haven’t blogged in a HEEEEELLUVA long time, shall we?! I mean, you don’t want to know all the mundane details on why my creative juices have had an absence of leave and my wish and want to impart my inane thoughts, drivel and blatant garbled ramblings on you has waned. If you do, drop me a line and I’ll send you a very lengthy email J

The reason for the return is many-fold; partly to remain an outlet for said inane drivel & ramblings, but mainly to get back to doing what I enjoy and enjoying what I do.

As many of you will know, I undertook a personal challenge to raise awareness, and funds, for the Ovarian Cancer charity, Ovacome, following the passing of a friend from this awful disease. I partook in 14 running events in 12 months and proudly wore my Ovacome running vest at every one, and raised over £1200 for this great cause. I’m very pleased and proud that I completed my own challenge and will forever be grateful for the unwavering support of my family, friends and total strangers in helping me exceed all of my targets.

But as with most highs, there comes a low. There was indeed a downside to the most active 12 months of my life. Aside from boring the living daylights out of every person I came into contact with (“yes, I’m running my X^th  race of the year on Sunday”, “yes, I’m going training tonight”, “would you like to sponsor me?”, “Have you seen my medal from last week’s run?”), after completing the last event, my enthusiasm, love and enjoyment of running was pretty much left at the finish line alongside my foil blanket and luke warm burger-van cuppa.  There was the natural ‘I’ll give myself a week or so off’ plan and then I had hoped to get right back to it. And I did. Half heartedly. To be fair, not even half heartedly. I had pretty much given up on running and pretty much given up on myself. And that spread into other areas too. Not eating quite as well as I used to, letting old habits creep back in. But it was OK because, you know, I’d just completed 14....yeah, yeah, you know! How many weeks can you go on with that excuse though? (answer....quite a few, actually!) Some weeks were good and positive, others not so. Even with a half marathon looming in Feb of this year, working with a running coach to reach an achievable time goal and reviewing, revisiting, reigniting good food habits it still wasn’t enough to get me ‘back to me & back on track’. Working with a coach was really good  as it proved to me that I do have the ability to improve my speed, my form and my overall confidence with running. And all these things I did over the few months of training. Unfortunately, work and illness put the kibosh on realising my half marathon goal time but I know I have it in me to do it. It’s just a case of time. Time. Commitment. Accountability. Planning. Other buzz-like words that are all real, relevant and work. All these things I know, and you know, but they have been buried in the landfill with that darn foil blanket and polystyrene cup from my last event! Until now. [Stage note: This is probably when the phoenix should rise from the ashes, in a plume of stage smoke, lights (not strobe. It hurts my eyes), some inspiring music blaring, the crowd cheers & whoops etc]

I have had a firm but fair word with myself. I’ve accepted that I have some work to do on me and understand where I want to get to. And I’ve accepted that if I want to get there, I’m gonna have to put in the work, cos no other bugger is going to do it for me! Yes, there are a hundred million memes out there on Instagram, Twitter, FB and all the others, that say the same with sparkly writing over a wonderfully inspiring  image and yes, I am one of the readers & retweeters of some of them. But you can read these a million times over, and we all do, but sometimes it’s not enough, is it? Sometimes it is as simple as taking some time to stop and think about how to get from A to B. And that’s what I have done this week. I don’t have a huge, complicated plan. I’m a Virgo so there is a list but nothing more than that. I did ponder a spreadsheet. I love a spreadsheet. Sometimes you just need some cell format-conditioning in your life. Just me then?! Oh. OK. *cough* Right, where was I.....oh yeah, how I’m getting from A to B? Well, I’m simply giving up on giving up. See, told you it was simple.

How do you reinvigorate your passion for something when it wanes? Time out? A break away or plough on through? Leave me a comment below & let me know!

2013? Thank you! 2014? I am so ready for you!

I promise this won't be a 'This is your life' length blog, as so many of my entries tend to be (I just can't help myself, sorry!) but it's been a helluva year and I need to take stock of what I have done & what I can do more of in 2014. 

I originally started off with a plan to review the races and events I had taken part in this year, how the event went, what I learnt, what went right or wrong etc etc but you know, I've covered most of it my previous blog entries so where's the fun in that for you guys? (I'm all heart, I know) so I'll try and keep it brief. 

On reflection, 2013 has been a good year for running and I have learnt a hell of a lot about myself and what I can achieve physically and mentally - and I know there is more I can do to continue to improve on both those fronts. Compared to 2012, I have made great gains on my fitness, aided by over 3 stone of weight loss (amazing how much lighter I feel on my feet, literally!) and completing so many events with great times, all of which I am proud of (if a little frustrated when it didn't quite go my way!) I said no long reviews so here's my 2013 achievements in brief:

Reading Half Marathon, March - 2:10 PB (by 21 minutes!)
Zest 10K Obstacle Trail, June - 1:40 (with an injured ankle!)
Runners Knees Virtual 10 Miler, June - 1:42
Dublin Rock & Roll Half Marathon, August - 2:14
Costwold Classic 10 miler, September - 1:37 PB (by 3 minutes!)
Swallowfield 10K, September - 57:21 PB (by 3 minutes!)
Blenheim Palace BHF 10K, October - 58:00
Oxford Half Marathon, October - 2:03 PB (by 7 minutes!)
Crazy Christmas Cracker Run 10K Trail - 1:18
Gut Buster 10K Trail - 58:57 (technically a trail 10K!)

Writing it all down makes me incredibly, incredibly pleased and proud of my achievements, both on the day and the training miles & hours that I put in to get there. Mid-summer I had decided to take part in as many events as I could for Ovacome, the ovarian cancer charity, to do something supportive for my friend Teresa who was battling this disease & make other women aware of the cancer and the symptoms. And for me, chucking on a pair of trainers and my Ovacome vest and challenging myself to certain events was a way in which I could help to get the message out there about ovarian cancer. The flip side is that the happy side of completing these events is tinged with a sad side as, at the end of September my lovely friend Teresa lost her brave and courageous battle against ovarian cancer. As you can imagine and would expect, it was an incredibly sad time, and continues to be so, for her family, close friends and all who knew her. But the strength that Teresa showed all the way throughout her treatment has done nothing but strengthen my resolve to do more for the charity and continue to raise money and awareness for them. The new year holds a lot of miles, challenges and the odd blister and aching muscles but with that comes a huge sense of pride that I am able to indulge in my new found passion of running whilst doing something for others. 

The new year brings huge challenges for me - 5K, 10K and half marathon PBs are definitely targets. Hell Down South is the first on the list in 4 days time (dear God, what am I doing?!), followed  by Wokingham Half Marathon in February and Reading Half Marathon in March. But all of these, big challenges in their own right, are building towards the big one - Brighton Marathon on April 6th. A marathon remains the ultimate challenge for me after pulling out of London at mile 8 a few years ago. But I am 100% committed to completing the 26.2 miles and crossing that line, however long it takes me. Of course I have a target time in mind but I'm not willing to share that with anyone yet, if at all; that's between the three of us - me, myself and I. 

It's been an incredible year of running, physically and emotionally, all of which I would not have been able to do without the support and encouragement of Teresa's partner, Richard, my family, great friends, all at Ovacome and the people of Twitter. Your fantastically generous support is greatly appreciated and has been invaluable to me, keeping me going when the going has gotten tough. I hope you will continue to be there for me and keep me going through 2014 as I take on and tackle more events throughout the year. And blog about them when I remember to!

To everyone who has supported me with calls, texts, Facebook messages, Tweets, being there at races and those fantastic donations, I can't thank you enough but hope these go a little of the way to showing you my gratitude - THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

2014? I am so ready for you! 

Busting a gut!

Today saw me complete my last event of 2013 and my 8th race for Ovacome, the 10K Gut Buster in Mortimer. And what a great way to end the year! The event was well organised, well turned out (sold out in fact) and a fab turn out of a friendly bunch of runners, organisers and marshalls.

I originally signed up for the race to help as part of my training for the first event of 2014, Hell Down South on Jan 4th, and it would be my second trail event having only completed my first two weeks ago (christmasrun.co.uk). The reviews online for Gut Buster were good and it is fairly local to me so why not! There were two courses on offer, 10K or 10mile, but will Hell only a week away, I thought that the 10K would be the better choice (note I didn't say easier choice!) 

Now, I am not a fair weather runner by any means - I am a fan of running in the rain afterall - but the forecast looked a tad chilly which posed the question of running attire. Layers yes, but how many? Hat or not to hat? Gloves? Headband? Long or short tights? The only certainty was that my trusty Ovacome vest would be worn but the rest, well, that was a tougher choice. The weather didn't improve and as I set off early-doors, layered up to the hilt, it was a nippy -2 with a hard frost. On arriving at Butlers Lands Farm, it was a balmy 0. Positively tropical. I was lucky enough to have a low run number and be able to park on the farm site itself whilst later numbers used the nearby Wokefield Park Hotel where a shuttle bus was provided for the 5 min journey to the start. Run number & timing chip collection was easy enough (I did feel for the volunteers looking rather blue despite the numerous layers!) and the area also doubled as the baggage store. After retreating to the car for a much needed pre-start heat, and final running attire choice (long tights, long sleeved top, vest, jacket and gloves; jacket discarded half a mile in!), it wasn't long before I was back in the farm's courtyard to join the loo queue & hear the pre-race brief. The brief was clear and littered with cheers, laughs & claps at the appropriate moments - everyone was in good spirits & ready for the off. The start is a few mins walk from the courtyard and thankfully, we weren't held for long before the countdown was over & the starter hooter blared. I say thankfully as I couldn't actually feel my toes so I was glad to be moving!

The initial stretch was tarmac and a tad on the icy side as we approached the first bend to take us onto a muddy track.....and onto the first hill. Gut Buster? More like like Lung Buster! No sooner had my toes started to warm up during the first 1.5 miles then we hit upon the ford. Earlier in the week, it was a metre high due to the atrocious weather but thankfully it had subsided to a manageable foot or so high today. There is the option to go around it via a path but with Hell next week going to throw chest-height muddy swamps at me, I thought it best to go through it. It was somewhat refreshing, that's for sure! The rest of the course remained a mixture of somewhat slippy roads, hills, and muddy off road routes, with the odd fallen tree as a hurdle and there was a smattering of welcome-cheerers en route too - encouragement and support is always good to see & hear. There were times when I felt like my legs were filled with the monstrous amount of pastry & mincemeat that has been consumed over the past week or so but encouragement from fellow Busters, and number 84 in particular (thank you, Natasha!), I kept on keeping on. The last 2-3K is very much off road and across fields which was hard on the feet & ankles due to the hard frost, making tractor tyre tracks quite a feat to overcome! With one last push, it was up an incline to the approaching finish line, where you were greeted with claps & cheers of 'well done', a cracking medal and directions to your cup of mulled wine & mince pie; well worth crossing the finish line for, let me tell you! (It was soon followed by a very welcome cuppa & bacon roll too, courtesy of The Coffee Hub). 

Number 84 was right behind me and without Natasha's support, I wouldn't have gotten around those last stages of the course in a very-nearly-almost-10K-PB of 58:57 (10K Road PB is 57:21) Thank you Natasha - and hopefully see you at Brighton in April!

And then it was time for a 'tweet up' as the birthday boy @Runnersknees crossed the line a few mins later! I had taken part on the 'Virtual 10 miler' set up by Darren earlier in the year, so it was nice to put a face to the name and tweets - great to meet you!

Yes, it was cold. Yes, it was icy & slippy. Yes, it was muddy. Yes, it was tough going and yes, above all, it was fun. It was good to get out in the lovely countryside (it really was lovely and a nice place to run) with like minded people and shake off some of the Christmas excess. For me, it was another opportunity to do more to raise awareness and funds for Ovacome, in memory of Teresa, and proudly cross another finishing line as I did so. 

The Gut Buster is an event I would definitely recommend partaking in but you best be quick as entries are already open for the 4th staging of this in December 2014 and if this year's numbers are anything to go by, it will fill up quick! Me? I 'm busting a gut to try the 10 miler next year! 

Doing what I can

As some of you may know, I have taken it upon myself to take part in as many running and/or challenging events as I can to help raise awareness of ovarian cancer as well as funds for the charity, Ovacome. The catalyst to this was my friend Teresa who was bravely fighting the disease for a second time and  I wanted to do all I could to help make sure women were aware of the symptoms and prevent them from going through what she has had to. Incredibly sadly, on 30th September 2013, brave, courageous and inspirational Teresa lost her fight. As you can imagine, and would expect, it's been an incredibly sad time, especially for her family and close friends; in fact all who knew her and her wonderful smile. It is often that I feel most helpless at times like this, when I want to be able to help, comfort and support those closest to Teresa but can't find the words or don't want to intrude. So, I will continue to do what I set out to do - and that is run to raise awareness of this disease and the ovarian cancer support charity, Ovacome. 

Tomorrow, Sunday 13th Oct, I'm running (or swimming, if the forecast is anything to go by) Oxford Half Marathon and this will be my fifth event for Ovacome. I am under no illusion that it's going to be a tough day, physically and emotionally, but I will get across that line, no matter what it takes. And I know that Teresa will be with me, every step of those 13.1 miles. 

If you would like to support me, you can by visiting my JustGiving page by clicking here or you can text EMLA99 followed by your donation amount to 70070 i.e. EMLA99 £1/ £5/£10 to 70070. Any amount is greatly appreciated. 

Thank you xx

Doing the splits

Today was my 3rd of 'many' events for Ovacome, the Ovarian Cancer charity. I say many as I have not set myself a limit on how many there will be. I am committed to trying to spread the key message regarding ovarian cancer - know the symptoms and get them checked out early. I'm not meaning to scare anyone but the symptoms are surprisingly 'normal' and very worthwhile checking out with your GP; for more information, visit the Ovacome website (click here). I am also raising money for them but more about that later....!

So, race number 3 was a local-ish 10k run in the form of the Swallowfield 10+3 in erm, Swallowfield, Berkshire. The 10k was part of a multitude of events taking place - 10K road race, Duathlon, Grass 5K & 3K fun run. It's all go in Swallowfield, dontcha know! I was strangely more nervous about this than any of the other races I have done so far; I couldn't quite put my finger on the reason as to why but nerves at least show I care and I'm not remotely complacent about my running; the way it should be really.

The Parish Hall was the hub of the day with the information centre & finish line being here. As it had just started to drizzle on my arrival, it was a welcome retreat to keep dry & warm before heading to the start. Lots of people were in attendance, all with different coloured race numbers depending on which event and they were a friendly bunch! It's always a tad daunting (for me!) attending a race on my own as many people tend to be in groups with their buddies or running clubs but not once did I feel excluded and got chatting to a lovely lady from Datchet Dashers in the queue for the ladies (Whom I would later have a great chat with about joining running clubs & their benefits whilst waiting for a well earned cuppa! Thanks Jacqui!). The baggage hold was managed by the local scouts group and it was a very painless process and before I knew it, I was heading to the start line which was a 5 min walk back towards the car park. After a quick briefing to the duathlon contenders, we were asked to take our positions at the start line which was sectioned depending on your finish time and I opted for the 'around 60 mins or over'. An announcement was made, reminding everyone that headphones were not permitted for safety reasons (although most roads were closed, not all were so it made perfect sense; good job I left mine at home then!), then the gun was fired and we were off. It it took about 1-1.30 min to get to the start line and I was into a pretty comfortable pace from the off, conscious of not going too fast too soon as I have tended to do in training and at previous races. 

Mile 1 was OK pace wise but mile 2 not so; too slow. I tucked in behind another run who had a good pace and I thought would keep me on track, but he slowed during the mile which threw me out a tad! I'm not sure how many times I have to remind myself but I should run my own race and trust in my training. So it was onwards and upwards. Literally. The first of a few inclines met me and I was comfortable with them having smashed some whoppers during the recent Cotswold Classic race; without sounding arrogant, these were bumps in the road compared to those monsters!! Before long, I had hit 3 miles and felt comfortable with my pace - only 3 and a bit to go. There were plenty of supporters out en route, albeit sporadically  but it's always nice to see people out supporting a local event, cheering on strangers, family and friends alike. My legs started to feel heavy about 4 miles but I reminded them why I was doing these events in the first place & that all that was left to do was a 'trot around the block' and cracked on. In fact, I did more than crack on; I kicked it up a notch somewhat! The next thing I knew, a welcome sign told me I had '500m to go', then as I entered to finishing funnel I heard Frimley Park Radio announce '442, Emma from Wantage' which made me throw my hands in the air in delight, saw me sprint to the finish line with a PB of 57:21 - fan-ruddy-tastic! I was elated, a tad wiped out, but elated! After collecting my medal, Sweatshop goody bag, and a well earned bacon butty & cuppa (tasted like nectar, I tell you!) I had time to review my splits. And I grinned from ear to ear - a negative split. Yes, you heard me - a negative split! 

Let me tell you, it made my PB all the sweeter. Despite a blip in mile 2, I am really, really pleased with my efforts today. It has given me some confidence in my training and, more importantly, my ability to run. Dare I say it, but I might just have found something that I am getting a teeny bit better at (Not quite good at, but getting there!) And I enjoy it. I really enjoy it. And I am proud for being able to do something I am 'getting better at doing and enjoying' if it helps raise the profile of a great charity and dreadful disease. (Sorry to bring it down a notch there, but reality bites!).

I shan't be doing to the splits to celebrate what I class as a 'great day at the office' - I have just had a whopping serving of the most delicious homemade Thai curry & a well-savoured large glass of lager (never let it be said I am nowt but classy!) so not the best idea - but I promise to continue to strive to keep doing my best. 

Cheers! 

PS: I mentioned about raising money for Ovacome - you can support me here via this justgiving.com link or text EMLA99 with your amount to 70070 i.e. EMLA99 £5 to 70070 - thank you! 

A day of firsts....

It's been a while since I have blogged and genuinely can't believe where the time has gone! (I think I say this every time I have a bit of a break from blogging but it's true!)

Since my last entry back in June (!) I have taken it upon myself to take part in as many events as I can over the next year or so to raise funds & awareness for Ovacome, the Ovarian cancer charity. 

August saw me take part in the inaugural Dublin Rock & Roll Half marathon in, erm, Dublin funnily enough! It was my first non-UK race and I was ready in terms of training etc but I did find it difficult running on my own. What helped to get me through was the charity I was running for and also imagining my friends husband next to me as I ran (Not as inappropriate as it sounds, I promise! With Chris by my side in March of this year, I managed to complete Reading half marathon with a new PB!) The turnout and course was great, seeing sights of Dublin I hadn't seen before (I am a regular-ish visitor as my sister and her family live there) and the bands playing every mile or so were fantastic too. Until about halfway, I was feeling good, not on fire but good. But that feeling didn't last long, for whatever reason; fuelling, I think although I can't be sure. I trooped on regardless. I really did struggle during the last four miles, despite the support & encouragement of fellow runners literally making me run with them, and I regrettably ended up walking/running the last few miles and subsequently missing my HM PB by 3 mins. A shame but nevertheless, a super proud moment crossing that line in 2:14. A nice bit of bling helped ease the pain and slight disappointment....as did the post run hugs & kisses from my family & the Guinness!  

My second event was today and not so far afield, only about 30mins from home - the Costwold Classic held by Witney Road Runners. I had toyed with the idea of another half but with Oxford only a few weeks away, I thought it best not to push my luck so opted for my first local race and it's 10 miler. And I am glad I did. Prior to the day, the communication was great and the run number packs sent our about 2 weeks before the big day. At £13 for a local, 10 mile race, I thought it was great value for money too. 

I knew the course would be hilly, as I know the area but a few cheeky tweets from athletic clubs the day before the race put the fear of God in me......"Not a bit of flat, 1 v long hill, 2 lung busters, 4 others, 1 field at end" Great! Maybe time to revise my time expectations! The usual 'night before a race day' routine ensued and I was up with the larks shoveling down the usual pre-race fuel of porridge & coffee. Thankfully, I read the rules a few days before the race so there was no need to pack my iPod & headphones, wearers of such would be disqualified. Gulp. I had never ran a training run let alone a race without my beloved tunes! Another first; a race with no banging beats to help me through. A little added pressure as I wasn't sure how I would fare when the going got tough (this is not a reference to my taste in music although Billy Ocean was a king in his day!) But if you never try, then you'll never know!

The event was well sign posted and directions clear; the car park was a 5-10 min walk from the race HQ which was Witney Community Primary School. Three of the ladies I was with were registering on the day and this was a well-run & easy process. There was a secure baggage area and changing facilities in some of the classrooms and plenty of toilets in the school available for use (and not as small, height wise, as expected!). About 15 mins before the race start time, we were asked to make our way to the start line, which was back up towards the car park and a good warm up! It was hard to hear if any announcements were made as only a loudhailer was available but it wasn't long before we were off! A slight incline was first on the list as I was trying to get into my stride. What was slightly disheartening though was the number of people overtaking me as soon as we set off. I did start to wonder what I had gotten myself into when so many club runners were whizzing past me but I kept repeating to myself 'run my own race' and 'I am a tortoise, not a hare'! There were a few steady inclines & declines throughout the first 2 miles as I tried to settle into my pace. So far, despite having to listen to the sound of my somewhat heavy breathing, I wasn't missing the cheery tunes too much - concentrating on them hills was a distraction! The views were amazing and were an additional welcome distraction as the miles ticked by. Mile 4 bought the arrival of a bit of flat and a water station, as well as a group of cheerers with banners & posters; even when they are not for you, they lift the spirits! 

By mile 4, I felt comfortable and into a good pace; don't get me wrong, the route was still a toughie but for the first time in the race, I felt I could finish and in a time I could be proud of. Before too long, we were more than halfway with only 4 miles left to go. The marshalls en route were really encouraging and there were smatterings of locals out cheering the runners on too - very much appreciated, let me tell you! Mile 8 brought a few little hilly surprises, short and steep, but I actually really love hills (odd I know, but I really do!) and relished a little in them, especially when they were conquered! Before we knew it, we were passing the mile 9 marker and on the road heading back towards the school. Knowing there was less than a mile to go is a big mental challenge for me, made even more so with finished runners jogging & walking past you in the other direction to the car park! But there were shouts and claps of encouragement too. With one lap of the school field to go, the rain started and I hoped it would chuck it down to help cool me down but it remained a drizzle. Glancing at my Garmin, I was pleased to see that I was on to beat my PB, not by much but better it nonetheless. The last straight saw me marginally kick it up a gear and I crossed the line in 1:37, a new PB by 3 mins! I whooped & hollered across the finish line and jumped for joy! I was super pleased with my race - the pace, the time and my effort to finish it! And there were indeed smiles with my miles, although at times, through gritted teeth!

Rather than a medal, a tech t-shirt was the memento of the day and I am writing this proudly wearing mine (post bath and celebratory curry & beer!)

 

I would thoroughly recommend the Cotswold Classic to anyone. Yes, it is hilly. Yes, it is popular with running clubs but exclusive to them it is not. And yes, a warm welcome from all and great support from marshalls await you!

All in all, my day of firsts was a great success: running my first local race without headphones for the first time, resulted in a PB. But hopefully, it won't be my last.