Non Running...Pilates

Long time no type once again...

This post is and isn't related to running as it is and isn't a proper blog post.

I decided to start doing Pilates again and did my first essential mat work class today at The Pilates Pod in Hitchin. I've vlogged about how it went and where my Pilates journey is going to go from here.

I will do a proper post on why I've decided to go back to Pilates again and what it means for my running, for now though I'm looking to get some variety into my exercise and something that will improve my overall strength and core.

Please let me know what you think of the video and give it a thumbs up if you liked it (please don't let the above face put you off)!

Happy viewing!

Holly

Running Away

Once again its been a whilst since I visited my little corner of the internet, but in the spirit of promising myself that I would keep up this blog post London Marathon...here I am back again. Quality over quantity and all that jazz ;)

Its now been 4 months since the marathon and theres have been a lot of rocky miles since the big 26.2. I'm pretty sure I mentioned previously that I have really struggled to get back into running since then, with it all coming to a head at the Hitchin Hard Half Marathon back in June (see previous post). The disappearance of my seemingly sound running ability prompted me to shy away from the running shoes and get on my bike. I knew that wasn't the end of running but I really appriciated the break and cycling has definately improved my running (more on that when I'm not typing away late at night on a sleep in at work when I have to be up at 6am). The long and short of it...I took the plunge and bought a bike.

So whats in store for running:

• My next event is the Standalone 10k in October. I absolutely love this race as its the one that got me into running and inspired me to do the London Marathon. I first did this local event in 2012 and have decided to make it my annual event. I'm going to be taking it on this year with a couple of friends and hope to (maybe) get a PB. I'm looking forward to giving this event the review it deserves.
• More cycling...my boyfriend and I are going to take on the London to Brighton next year which will hopefully not only improve my cycling ability and stamina but also have an effect on my running too.
• I'm hoping to get back into pilates with the Pilates Pod soon as I really enjoyed discovering what pilates is all about and really think it could help with my running and sort out my core (which is terrible)
• Last but not least, I'm hopefully going to be doing a run club with my friend Jade and Herbalife who are going to start some run clubs in the local area.
• How could I forget....PARKRUN IS COMING TO HITCHIN! One of the lovely ladies on UKRunChat is bringing ParkRun to Hitchin around about September time and I can't wait. I've heard so many good things about it and I'm looking forward to being able to try it out in my little town.

Heres to an Autumn and beyond of running and its little helpers...

Happy Running

Holly

xx

Hitchin Hard Half 2014

Really I only need to say one word to review this race...OUCH! But since that doesn't make for very interesting reading I shall elaborate.

The Hitchin Hard Half Marathon has been going for 3 years now and starts and finishes in my lovely town of Hitchin. I wanted to do it since it started but running wasn't as much a part of my life as it is now and last year I wasn't quite ready for a half marathon, what a difference a year makes. My Dad was a marshall last year so I went to meet him at his post to see what the Hitchin Hard Half was all about (and how important the 'hard' bit was). I walked up a couple of small inclines and decided that it didn't look that hard, how wrong I was.

I signed up this year as I wanted to do my home towns half and also because I've been suffering a little lack of mojo recently. The London Marathon has really broken me and its taken a long time for me to recover and get back into running. I think I'd been building up to it for so long and really pushed myself on the day to get my much wanted 5 hour time that my bodies just decided that its had enough. I've been feeling a little 'where do I go from here'?

I knew I wasn't quite up to par as the longest run I've done since the marathon was about 8 miles (at a struggle) so nerves were running high on the day, despite my previous comment I was also wondering how tough the 'hard' bit was going to be. I was excited at the same time though as I was looking forward to doing another event and also to run with my best friend again.

The course starts and finishes in the lovely grounds of The Priory, a place which holds a lot of memories for me of many summer evening spent watching the Priory Picnic concerts and sitting in sun/dancing in the rain at Rhythms of the World. I couldn't help getting swept up by the sunny day, being in beautiful surrounding in my beloved town with so many other people as passionate about running as I am.

The warm up was lead by Ellen Tipping who I did a Pilates course with at the Pilates Pod, I could definitely do better when it comes to warming up and cooling down so I was grateful to learn some new warm up exercises. I put these into practice a couple of days a go and woke up the next day not in the pain after a run for the first time since I don't know when, thanks Ellen and the Pilates Pod!

The race itself...they don't call it the 'hard half' for no reason. It started up hill, which was a good metaphor for my entire race. Due to taking a long time to recover from the London Marathon and not being quite on form I struggled the whole way round, I'd like to say that this was all down to the heat but I knew it wasn't just that. The hills really got to me, so much so that I almost broke into a walk run at times. I know that slowing it down and walking is the right thing to do sometimes and theres no shame in it but its always been my big no no when it comes to racing. I managed to keep running the whole way despite the downhills being as tough as the up...who said Hertfordshire was as flat as a pancake?

Despite its up and downs (literally), the run went through some beautiful local countryside and I really tried to appriciate how beautiful the course was. I never taken much time to get to know Hitchin's surrounding villages and I really should, maybe it'll be good motivation to get some practice in before next year (Preston Hill I'm coming to get you in 2015).

Despite the pull of the challenge, terrain will not be the thing that brings me back next year, however the event itself will be. It was one of the most organised races I have ever done. Organised by Hitchin Tilehouse Rotary I wasn't sure what the organisation itself was going to be like but I was literally blow away. It was a painless experience picking up our race packs on the day (no annoying print outs), everything was made clear at the start, plenty of enthusiatic marshalls to guide the way (and no untrue statements of "the finish is only just round the corner" were uttered) and perfectly placed water stations every 3 miles.

No runner can deny the lure of the bling and goody bag at the end and the Hitchin Hard Half certainly did not disapoint. A bug bear of mine is when a race wheels out the same medal year after year so when the chord said 2014 that was the first thumbs up. The goody bag had me at 'Lucozade Orange' (my post run drink of choice) and blew every other one I have ever had out the water. Not only was it 'pick and mix' style so you didn't end up with a load of toot you don't want but you could take as much as you liked.

A nice little addition at the end was the £5 for 10 minute sports massages, all proceeds of which went to Cancer Hair Care. It was here that I met Dave from DW Sports Massage without whom I would have been in (even more) pain in the following days. He professionally delivered me some home truths about the need to improve the flexability in my legs and gave me tips on some cool down exercises to help with this. I'll definately be paying him a visit once I'm back on track and in need of a sports massage.

I can't sign off without giving my bestie Louise a mention, after watching her struggle at the Standalone 10k last year she could have steamed on ahead of me this day. But she chose to run with me and get me through to the end. I'm so proud of what she has achieved this last year and it was a pleasure to run with her again. 2 hours 20 seconds ain't bad for the hottest day of the year so far.

Thanks to the Hitchin Tilehouse Rotary for putting on such a great event. I really hope this event grows and gets with it the attention from the running community it deserves. Also big thanks to all the volunteer stewards (and a little extra mention to favourite stewards, my Dad and my friend Jon) and the locals of Hitchin and surrounding villages who turned out to cheer us all on. The support and smiles of strangers always makes my day.

I definately wouldn't have been saying this at the time, but if you're looking for a new half marathon challenge then you'll be seeing me at the start line on 21st June 2015.

Happy running and if like me you're struggling a bit of the moment...hang in there!

Holly

x

London Marathon 2014

Its now been exactly a month since the London Marathon 2014 so I thought it was about time I gave my #VMLM2014 story. I've been trying to do this for the past 3 weeks or so but its been pretty hard to put it down into words. 

I thought I would start by giving you a little bit of a ‘why the London Marathon’ background. I know I have touched on how I came to start running a little but I’ve never gone into the story of why the London Marathon in particular *checks previous blog posts*.

I’ve grown up watching the London Marathon, not because my family are runners but its was one of those annual televised events that was on in the background during Sunday breakfast time. It always felt comforting yet exciting to watch but never something I felt compelled to do myself. Its only been in the last 3 or so years that I’ve actually made a point of sitting down and watching it.

I’ve mentioned before that I took up running when I came back from travelling in 2011. By 2012 I was running about 5k every morning but I never really expected to progress from there, however it was watching a 101 year old man take part in the London Marathon in 2012 that really made me think about doing it myself. That was the defining moment for me, because if a 101 year old man can do it…

If I want to do something big I usually tell lots of people about it to ensure that I see it through, so I posted this Facebook status…

Clearly LOADS of people thought I would do it due to the number of ‘likes’ it got ;)

I have a very vivid memory of watching the 2013 race with Emma on a boat down in Chichester for Rosie’s birthday and deciding that it would definitely be me next year. I decided to apply for the 2014 race as I was still yet to do a 10k and a half marathon so it gave me 2 years to get myself up to scratch.

I was all set to enter the ballot in April only to discover that it closed at 11am, luckily I managed to secure a charity place with Leonard Cheshire who I also volunteer for.

So I’ve managed to get all this way without actually saying why the London Marathon, well…I only intended to do a marathon once so I decided to go for the big one!

"So how was it?" is something I've been asked a lot over the last couple of weeks, so heres how it was...

In the tapering weeks it all began to feel a little bit 'unreal', it only really hit me when we went down to the Expo on the Saturday that it really begun to hit. I felt awful that day, just sick with nerves about the whole thing, sad that a few special people weren't going to be there and worrying that I hadn't done something I was supposed to and I wouldn't be able to do it. Poor Russ, I was horrible that day.

The best part of the day was getting to meet some people from UKRunChat that I've been talking to via Twitter throughout my training. Our carb loading meal definitely confirmed what a special community UKRunChat is and how glad I am to be a part of it at the grassroots stage. Its definitely going to get bigger and I can't wait to see where it goes...and the new friends I might gain along the way.

Sunday, I was way more relaxed. I've sat here for a good 15 minutes trying to think of the best way to explain how I felt on the morning but there really were no words. I think because I'd felt so awful during the day on Saturday, by comparison things were looking much better by Sunday morning. All the hard work had been done and everything organised...all that was left to do was running the thing!

After a winning breakfast of yogurt, oats and raisens, Russ drove me down to Kentish Town and we got the tube from there to Greenwich Park. Although it was wall to wall with runners it still didn't hit me that it was THE London Marathon. I've done quite a few events before and this didn't seem any bigger than any previous events. I remember being awe struck by the volume of people lining up with me to do the Great North Run last year but the same feeling wasn't there. It wasn't disapointing as the atmosphere was fantastic, I just expected it to be, well...bigger.

As we moved into the starting pens, my heart sank as I realised that I was in the last one with all the people dressed as Bagpuss and fridges etc. Bang goes my 5 hour marathon...however I made the decision not to get hung up on it as I've always said that I just wanted to get round running. This is all that is ever important to me.

It started to feel like the real deal going over the start line, the speed started to pick up and the crowds that lined the route started cheering. I set my pace at approximately 5.5 miles an hour and hoped that if I could maintain this then I stood a chance of getting to my 5 hour goal.

The noise level, the amount of people making a day of it, pubs blasting out music, small children holding their hands out for fives, homemade banners lovingly made by people I will never meet, people handing out treats for energy and the feeling is something I don't think I will ever fully be able to put down into words. So I've put it as best I can into my top moments.

1. Cutty Sark and coming up to Mile 7...as I was running through Cutty Sark I was aware that Leonard Cheshire's first cheer point was coming up. I actually felt a little sick and nervous wondering how I would react when I saw my friends and family, would I even see the cheer point and had they all found it in time. The first person I saw was my Mum who immediately started screaming for me, I then saw my Dad and Russ with camera phones at the ready (Russ managed to pick possibly the worst photo he took of the day on Facebook…thanks babe ;) ) Of course that moment literally passed by in a flash, in both the time and camera sense. That was the first time I was hit with the emotion of the day and I had a quick burst of tears but quickly managed to grab myself together.

2. There was a feeling of euphoria in the air going over the half way mark, everyone cheered when they went over but I couldn’t help but glance to my left and see all the runners aiming for a 3.5 hour finish…how far away is the other side? Well when I was on the other side the sweepers were behind the last people, they were all still running though. It was that moment that made me realise that its true, ANYONE can run. 

3. I felt a real sense of enjoyment around the Canary Wharf area where I really felt like I was running the London Marathon and that I could go the distance. It was mile 18 and I wasn’t in any pain, just feeling good and trying to take it all in.

4. I had my ‘oh god’ moment when I got to Tower Bridge. The sheer volume of space and the sight itself was breath taking, a moment that everyone had been waiting for and thinking about in those long, dark and wet January runs. The noise fell slightly as it felt like everyone just took a mental step back to enjoy where they were and think about what they were doing and maybe why they were doing it.

5. As I was approaching mile 23 and the second Leonard Cheshire cheer point I saw the pacer for 4:58. I had made sure I had maintained my pace of at least 5.5 miles an hour the whole way (minus a pesky stitch moment) but had long shoved a 5 hour finish to the back of my mind. I thought that if I could just keep up with him then I would make my 5 hour target, I still tried to tell myself that it didn’t matter though. Mile 23 came and went in a quicker flash than before but I managed to get a glimpse of Katie and Emma whilst going past. After that moment, I got hit with a lightning bolt like surge…I had 3.2 miles to go, I was level with the 4:58 pacer. I decided to just go for it and run as fast as I can, for as long as I can and just get that 5 hour time. I kept looking at my running watch and seeing my speed increase, I was sure I’d burn out before the end and limp over the finish line, but I just kept on going faster and faster, so much so that I almost missed ‘The Mall’ moment. It was so busy at one point I actually had to ask someone if it was The Mall.

6. And of course, the finish line itself. I wasn’t sure if I was within 5 hours as I got over the line but I made sure I enjoyed the moment...and I bloody did! I can’t describe the feeling of crossing the marathon finish line…but I urge you to find out for yourself if you’ve ever had the inkling to. If I had to put that moment into words that about 37,000 other people can probably identify with then it could only be 'I am a marathon runner'. 

My official time was 4 hours, 48 minutes and 34 seconds and I couldn’t be more ecstatic. From no running to a sub 5 hour marathon in 3 years. I always said that this would be my first and last marathon, but after my London experience…now I’m not so sure. Watch this space...

I have so far managed to raise £1580.20 so far for Symonds House - Leonard Cheshire Disability, a charity I volunteer for. Please help me to get to £1800 if you can, its what this whole 26.2 miles was all about for me... http://www.justgiving.com/hollysrunningthelondonmarathon2014

"There will be days when you think you can't run a marathon, but a life time of knowing that you have"

 Thank you for joining me on my journey

Holly

x

3 days to go...

Yes you read right, I can almost see the start line from here!

As its so close to the big days itself and I've been having one of 'those evenings' I thought that now would be a good time to share how my training and fundraising have been going and how I'm feeling about the whole #VMLM2014 thing as I may not get another chance.

The biggest reason why I haven't kept this blog as up to date as I had originally intended is that I've become really involved with the UKRunChat community. I've spent a lot of internet time chatting to people, not just those running the London Marathon but every type of runner...from those who are aiming for their first 5k to those who are training for their umpteenth ultra. I've found it really reassuring to talk to other people like myself, who are trying their best to fit a hectic training schedule around a job, family, friends, children (not in my case but hats off to those that have been) and all those other niggly things in life. 

I've also learnt that its ok to have a drink or two whilst training (I was even egged on by a few people I regularly chat with to keep on pouring the gins a few weekends a go) and to have a the odd polystyrene container of cheesy chips on the way home. I learnt that you can be normal and run a marathon, theres nothing super human about it. I'm really looking forward to meeting some of them after the Expo on Saturday for a pre race carb dinner.

One of the biggest worries I've had over the past couple of months has been how the hell I was going to get anywhere near the £1800 fundraising target for Symonds House. I hovered around the £500 mark for ages and sometimes lay awake at night wondering what to do about it all. I've always been terrible at sharing my worries, which has never been helpful so I took these worries to the Symonds House Service Manager Aileen. I made the suggestion of doing a bake sale at Symonds House itself and she offered me a whole pitch at the Hitchin Spring Fair. 

I had so many wonderful people bake me some amazing cakes, a lot of whom are people associated with the home that haven't actually met me in person as well as family and friends. I also had the pleasure of my chap Russell, colleague and friend Jay, flatmate Sarah and other friend Sarah helping me out on the day which made it a million times more fun. We managed to raise nearly £350 which was a big boost on to my target. The total currently stands at £1320.20 and I know that some more pennies will be flying my way shortly so I'm really on my way to my target now...and breathe.

I can't fault the support that I've got from Leonard Cheshire along the way, the contact and support from Klara and Amy at head office has always been constant and Aileen and Lesley have gone out of their way to make things as easy as possible for me. I love seeing people so passionate about what they do and who they're doing it for, its why I love working in care and support myself. Knowing I'm not alone has been something thats very important to me throughout this process. 

I've now only got two short runs left until Sunday and I've been feeling up and down about it all week. Its pretty much been alternate days of feeling really excited and really nervous about it. The UKRunChat lot have got me really excited about the Expo. Previously picking up a race number has never been that exciting but theres loads of stuff going on so it seems a little bit like the running version of The Clothes Show Live. Its starting to feel like the build up to a holiday and I'm determind to enjoy the experience and not let my nerves cloud the experience. 

Tonight however, I'm struggling with that feeling. I don't think that being holed up by myself in the flat with Eastenders, Coronation Street and a jar of Lotus biscuit spread for company has helped matters but I can feel the nervous knots in my tummy coupled with a few negative thoughts in my head and I'm finding it hard to shake the feeling. I decided to postpone my five mile run until tomorrow so I can get up early and do it. I got up at 6am on Tuesday morning and hit the pavement by 7am for a 9 mile run. Of course it wasn't wonderful getting up but it was a lovely morning and I felt great the rest of the day, it also felt like 2 in the afternoon around 10am as I'd done everything so early. I'm hoping to claw back how I felt on Tuesday morning tomorrow and disperse some of these nerves. 

It really has been a journey of two halves, one minute I'm questioning whether I even like running (that was most of February's thinking) and the next I'm contemplating signing up to the Brighton Marathon next year (that was Tuesday night's thinking).

I'm hoping to engage more with this blog once I'm down from the marathon hype (which may take a while) so I can use it for a few thoughts and ideas I've been storing next to the tricks up my sleeve.

Right now though...London Marathon, I'm coming for you! Wish me luck...

Holly

x

The Kindness of Strangers

Just a quick one tonight, but I felt really compelled to write a blog post on tonight's #ukrunchat hour!

For those who aren't aware, #ukrunchat is a hashtag on Twitter for runners to chat about all things running and is run by @UKRunchat. You can ask people questions under the hashtag (and always get replies) and reply to others if you have any advice. Everyone is incredibly friendly and it's literally for everyone. There are people aiming for their first 5k to people doing their umpteenth marathon, it doesn't matter because everyone chats to everyone else.

Tonight was the first time I actively took part in the #ukrunchat hour and I loved every minute of it. I got some questions answered, gave some advice, made some new Twitter friends and got some donations for my target for Leonard Cheshire Disability. One of my new Twitter buddies suggested that people donate £1 to someone random's fundraising target and I managed to get myself a fiver in donations (don't worry I reciprocated). The whole ethos, energy and kindness of everyone has really made me smile. I've got so many great tweets to read if I'm ever having a 'I hate running' moment and lovely people to chat to. It's made me really excited for my training week ahead!

So if you're a runner I'd really urge you to give the #ukrunchat hour a go, it's every Sunday and Wednesday between 8pm and 9pm. My Twitter handle is @OhHollyGosh and I'd be happy to chat anytime! 

Keep running (and tweeting)

Holly

x

P.S If you feel like donating a pound or two then you can do so at http://www.justgiving.com/hollysrunningthelondonmarathon2014 or text HFLC99 £1 to 70070

Love/Hate

I said when I started this blog that it would be a completely honest account of all things marathon, and that is what this post is about to be. It may sound mad to get so emotional about putting one foot in front of the other but I have really learnt over the last couple of weeks that training for a marathon is a truly personal experience and not always a good one. I knew there would be low times but I thought that those points would be related to not feeling too great about running 8 miles on a cold and drizzly Thursday afternoon after work, I didn't expect to feel like I have felt over the past couple of weeks. 

I hope this post doesn't come across as too negative. I just want be honest with myself more than anything, so that when I look back when my brain is clouded with the memories of the London atmosphere on the 13th of April and the feeling of crossing the finish line...I can stop and remember that no, sometimes...it just sucked! 

I was genuinely really enjoying training, I've loved seeing the miles clock up on the Nike+ app, being able to run further and further and feel my muscles get stronger and stronger (and maybe being able to munch on a few more treats). But the week before last it all just suddenly became a burden, the way my shifts fell meant that it was just getting in the way of everything and I was having to squeeze my life around it to the point of exhaustion. One day the only way I had time to fit in a run was to use it as a mode of transport to take me to my boyfriend's house (which also meant that I had to run back the next day). I sat at work last Friday having a bit of a bitch about it and coming out with hyperbolic statements such as "I wish I'd never bothered signing up", "It's the worst thing ever", "I don't want to do it anymore".

I was also worrying about the fundraising side of it and the prospect of having to raise £1800. I was previously really excited about the prospect of getting some local press coverage to generate some cash to top up my fundraising but it was looking like at one point that things weren't going to shape up the way I'd hoped and it really got me down.

I tried to get in the mindset of 'new week, new start' but last week was even worse. I managed Monday and Tuesdays runs but by Wednesday I just couldn't face it. I got up in time to do 6 miles before work and there was no physical reason why I couldn't run, but I stood in front of the bathroom mirror in my onesie to have my head and my feet tell me that it wasn't going to happen today. I felt really guilty about it all day and tacked on an extra 3 miles to Thursdays run. 

I let myself down again on Saturday by doing 8.5 miles instead of 14. I'd been working all day and then had to go and get my photo taken for the article thats hopefully going to be going in the local paper. It was all getting a bit late, cold and rainy so I made the decision before hand to cut it short. The saving grace was that I actually had a really good run with my running buddy Emma. She assured me that its normal to feel like I do and that sometimes its ok to shove the schedule. I ran faster than I normally do and it was the first time in 2 weeks that I actually felt good about and enjoyed running.

I've been back on track this week but I'm still not loving it to the extent that I was a few weeks a go. Yesterday marked 2 months till the big day and the way I'm feeling right now it can't come soon enough. I'm really looking forward to just running for the love of it and not just because I have to.

I'm really going to push next week, try to enjoy it and remember why I decided to do this.

Has anyone else feeling like this about the marathon at the moment? 58 days to go...

Keep on running (whether you have to or because you want to)

Holly

x

On a lighter note...heres a picture of me just after stacking it in the mud on mile 5 of 16 a few weeks a go. Despite the Hitchin Hoop being all bogged up and me falling in it, I really enjoyed this run.