Great North Run...DONE

WOW...it has been a long time since I have posted! I do have some reasonable (I think) excuses though...

Since I last posted in July I have started a new job, moved house and acquired myself someone special. I know it sounds a bit lame but its taken me some time to adjust to working shifts in a completely different kind of job, living in my own place and having a lovely man to think about. It's been a really great few months but also a lot to take in so the old bloggin' and to be honest the level that I was training at have taken a bit of a back burner. 

So the last couple of months...

I had a period of 7 weeks where I wasn't working so I got into a really good gym and running routine and was in my best physical and mental shape. I was feeling really good about tackling the Great North Run and was feeling fairly relaxed about it. I also reached my goal weight at Weight Watchers which was a really big boost for me. However once I started my new job things slid a little...

I've started working shifts, which on the one hand is good as it means I don't have to get up at stupid 'o clock to train, but it can be a physically/mentally draining job so I was finding that I didn't always have the energy to go out on long runs as I was getting used to the new hours. I also had to spend quite a bit of time sorting my stuff out in my new place to. I started to feel a bit down about the fact that I'd let things slide and that I wasn't quite where I should have been. 

Once I got myself back on track, I decided not to focus on what I had done rather that what I hadn't. I made sure I got in at least one long run a week and on the days where I was feeling a bit drained I did shorter runs. By race day I was up to 10 miles again which I was happy with. 

Even though I was feeling more relaxed by the time race day came around I was still feeling a little nervous and not 100% I had a nice 'carb loading' meal the night before with Katie and a good nights sleep. 

As I was lined up at the start line it really dawned on me that the actual distance was right in front of me...even though it was a it late to start freaking out about it, for the first 3 miles or so I was dreading the moment where it was really going to start hurting. Thankfully though, it was at about mile 3 where I reached the Tyne Bridge and was lucky enough to be crossing it as the Red Arrows flew over. I know it sounds a bit strange and difficult to understand but I was so overcome with emotion that I cried. A few years a go I probably would have been pulling the face that you may be pulling at the moment over the thought of someone crying over running (who cries over running?!) but its not something I can explain. I've always found running events an emotional thing but always in a good way.

If you're ever feeling despair for mankind and truly want to see it at its best then go to a running event. I am always amazed by how many people turn out to watch, cheer constantly for several hours, cheer or you personally even though you've never met them and take the time to hand out snacks and drinks a long the way. The Great North Run was no different, it was a grey and wet day and people were still out in force. Thank you to all to the lovely folks of Newcastle for taking the time out of your day to come and support me and 59,999 others in our quest to complete the Great North Run and for confirming once again that humanity can be awesome. 

So did that wall of pain come? Oh yes it did, but not as badly as I thought. I was lucky that I only started to feel pain at mile 11, even then it really wasn't that bad and after a little wandering round in a daze wrapped in foil (and another little sob) I felt great.

So...thing I learnt from the Great North Run:

- Fizzy cola bottles are my energy

- Vaseline covered feet is a must

- I need to stop being a 'where the mood takes me' runner, I need to start planning proper routes...and get a sense of direction!

- I love the Red Arrows

- I can run a half marathon in 2 hours, 9 minutes and 38 seconds...

Next stop...eeek I'm not ready to say it just yet!

Thanks for reading

Holly

x

P.S £235.00 raised so far for Leonard Cheshire Disability...thanks to everyone whos donated so far!

My First 12k

I guess if you want an express summing up of what I'm going to be talking about in this post then you need look no further than the title. However if you're interested in how I came about my little achievement then please read on! 

I decided after the Great Manchester Run that I need to step up my distance as to be honest, 10k is pretty comfortable for me now. If I'm going to stretch my distance I normally need a few days to build up to it and I usually tackle it on a Sunday. I asked my running buddy Emma if she was free for one of our Sunday jaunts, she's heaps better than me at the whole running thing (she does scary things like the London to Brighton etc) but she's also very encouraging whilst making sure I'm on track and we always have a giggle so it's nice to run with her. However she was about to climb Mount Snowdon so that was off the cards (she did say that she'd be up for a run in the evening once she was back...after completing the Three Peaks...eek), but I imagine she was probably pretty pleased that I wasn't free in the end.

So with about a weeks worth of mental preparation I started out solo on my 12k mission. I was feeling confident, but also dreading getting to that stage where you just feel horrendous and fully believe that there is no possible way that you will ever feel normal again. I normally hit this point around the 7k mark, however as I was hitting each marker after this I was still feeling comfortable. I started to get that kind of  'Eye of the Tiger' feeling you get when you're over confident about the task in front you. Whether you think that the hill in front of you 'isn't that far to the top' or that you can definitely demolish five plates at an all you can eat Chinese buffet, with room for pudding...in my case I was starting to believe that I could go from a 10k to a half marathon in the space of a day. No such luck...

As soon as I hit 10k my body was starting to ask me why I hadn't stopped! My muscles were starting to winge and the two glasses of water I had before I left had long since been zapped up. When Sanya Richards Ross piped up with "you're almost at your target" on Nike+ I felt at my limit and that last half a kilometers felt like another 3, if you've run any sort of distance I'm sure you'll know the 'where the hell is the finish' feeling. 

Looking back now without being tomato faced, sweaty and free of lactic acid build up, it actually wasn't as bad as I thought.

I may not have polished off 5 plates and a dessert at a Chinese, climbed an extremely steep hill or go from 10k to half marathon in one day, but I did get to 12k which is further than I've ever done before. I think it helped that I had a good route with a mix of scenary and terrain. In fact it was such a gorgeous day and so pretty running past the rape seed fields just before Ickleford, that I wanted to stop and take a couple of pictures. However I decided to abandon my usual photo fiendish ways and concentrate on the task at hand.

I now feel like the road to The Great North Run has started...

Bring on 14k!

Thanks for reading!

Holly

xx