1 Mile of Pain and Determination

Friday night was the first of the Cardiff Summer Series races. For those of you who don't know what this involves, it's 4 races during April - July and start off with 1 mile then the next race is 2 miles then 3 miles and then 4 miles. These races are very fast and the elite tend to run them so I've always avoided doing it as I don't think I'm quick enough to take part.

This year I decided to kick self-doubt out of my head and try it. I told myself that coming last was inevitable but that's only if I'm competing with other people instead of competing with myself.

I was full of nerves when we arrived and wanted to run in the other direction when we all walked to the start line. I kept telling myself it was just a mile then it would be done and I could go to the pub with my Pegs family.

Team huddle and trying to stay warm

8 Pegs... 1 Mile...

#PegsBums

I wanted to do a sub 9 minute mile and thought that would be touch and go as I've hardly done any speed work since coming back from injury. As I ran I kept telling myself to just hold on, to just keep going and ignore everyone around me. This was my race and I was doing it to challenge myself, I wanted to see what I was capable of.

It hurt. It hurt a lot and I couldn't even get the breath to thank the marshals who cheered us on and made sure we ran in the right direction. So, thank you marshals!

We couldn't race without you!

As I approached the last few hundred metres I could see (and hear!) my Pegs family cheering me on and then someone from another club overtook me. Usually I wouldn't be bothered but my brain just said "NO!" so I pulled out everything I had and chased her down. I could feel my legs giving way and I just willed them to keep me upright and running forward as quickly as possible, I honestly don't know how I did such a strong sprint finish when I was burning with pain.

Side by side...

Overtaken...

Determination AKA sheer bloody stubbornness...

Side by side again...

Somehow I managed to get past her...

The relief at entering the finish funnel

As I went past her I heard her say something but it didn't register what, I could barely hear anything above my gasping for breathe. She finished within a second of me and straight away apologised for swearing at me which really made me laugh. My reply was "fuck, that hurt!" We are now friends on Facebook.

So it turned out that I finished 107 out of 119 runners which I am bloody proud of. My Garmin time was 8:25 but the official gun time was 8:28. I wanted a sub 9 min/mile and managed to pull off a sub 8:30 min/mile!

I woke up on Saturday morning aching as though I'd run a lot further but I never run that fast usually so I pushed my body harder than normal. I forgot to foam roll when I got in so that won't have done me any favours. It's a nice ache though, it's the 'I worked my butt off' kind of ache that I enjoy.

Friday night taught me to stop doubting myself as much, to push myself and just see what happens. I will always have self-doubt but I'm happy with that as long as it doesn't prevent me from challenging myself and pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I'm looking forward to the next 2 mile race in a couple of weeks or at least that's what I'm telling myself anyway!

The Year of the Half Marathon!

2017 is all about the half marathon!

My running goal for this year is to complete the Cardiff half marathon in under 2 hours. Yep you read that right, I'm going for a sub 2 hour half marathon!

My last half marathon was Cardiff in October 2016 and took me 2 hours, 23 mins and 28 seconds so that means I need to knock about 24 minutes off my race time. Ok then...

That about sums it up!

In order to achieve this I am going to have to push myself harder than I usually do. I'm going to have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable and with it hurting. When my brain says "WTF are you doing? Stop!" I'm going to have to find the strength to tell it to shut the f**k up and just keep going.

I know I can do this, I know I can push myself further. I've been smashing my PBs since last August, I'm getting stronger and faster so this is doable. I just need to face the fear and not let myself get intimidated or defeated before I give myself the chance to try.

I'm signing up to do 4 half marathons this year so I can keep an eye on how I'm doing as I go, the races are:

Newport on 5th March

Swansea on 4th June

Severn Bridge on 27th August

Cardiff on 1st October

I'm also going to try to blog more often as it's a good way to keep myself accountable and on target. I should probably also draw up some sort of training plan then not really stick to it and end up drawing all over it when I don't follow it. That sounds sensible.

Wish me luck!!

Doing The Parkrun Double on New Years Day!

Wow what a start to 2017!

I woke up at 7am on New Years Day and decided I was going to go to parkrun - start the year as I mean to go on! It was raining outside so I very nearly changed my mind but I was determined to do it. I knew a few of my club Pegasus were going to 'do the double' and also run at Barry Island or Newport afterwards but I was just going to do the Cardiff parkrun. Well, that was the plan anyway.

I arrived at Cardiff parkrun and chatted to my running buddies who tried to convince me to 'do the double' but I was cold and wet before we'd even started so didn't want to."Not this year" is what I said. Last year I couldn't do it because I was injured and promised myself that I'd do it this year but I "just wasn't feeling it". 

That lasted about 400 metres then I turned to John and said, I'm going to run Barry Island parkrun after this! John ran Cardiff parkrun with me and kept me going when I wanted to slow down, he didn't leave my side and laughed when I said I wanted to curl up and die. It hurt. It really hurt.

I didn't beat my PB but I ran harder than I have in a long time and felt great afterwards. After we'd had our barcode scanned, we headed off to our cars and made the journey to Barry Island. I hadn't run the Barry Island parkrun before so was excited and a bit nervous. It's 2 laps (and I hate laps) and it's not exactly flat. I expected to hate it but I loved it! I was knackered from my first parkrun of the day but I just kept going. The marshals were so supportive and encouraging even though it was raining, cold and windy but they kept cheering and smiling as we passed.

The route is mainly 'out and back' which I love. I have such a good time looking for familiar faces and cheering my running buddies on, it's a great distraction and really keeps me going. The last stretch along the promenade was looming and my legs were giving in, then out of nowhere Ally appeared by my side. She kept me going until the end and I am so grateful to her. That's the amazing thing about the running community, we might only see some people a few times a year but it's as though we run together every day. They are supportive and encouraging of each other, I haven't met a community like it before and I love being part of it.

I completed Cardiff parkrun in 29:40 and Barry Island parkrun in 31:21. I expected the Barry run to be slower than that so am very pleased with my time.

Soggy Pegs plus our friendly Les Croups photobomber

After the run I went for a cuppa tea and a bacon roll with Sarah, Rosie and Helen. We chatted a lot about running and exchanged our goals for 2017. We've all decided to do more parkrun tourism this year and are putting together a list of the races we want to enter and/or support our Pegs at.

Wet, freezing cold and pre cuppa and bacon roll photo

I'm so glad I 'did the double' today, it feels like a massive achievement and a wonderful way to start the year. 

My PB Smashing Cardiff 10K!

Sunday 11th September was the Cardiff 10K and, as usual, I was like a kid at Christmas on race day. My running buddy Clare picked me up and we headed into town. Clare was running with her Mind Cymru work colleagues so I wished them all a good race and went to meet my Pegs at the museum.

Our regular race meeting point... right by the toilets

Last year I finished the race in 1:03:35 and was happy to do this years in 1:05:00 or 1:06:00 ish as I hadn't been running as quickly as last year during training.

Pre-race selfie, I can't start a race without one!

Once all the Pegs had arrived, we lined up ready and waited for someone to walk by and take our photo. We were so excited when someone did that we broke out the jazz hands!

Jazz hands!

After all that excitement we made our way to the start line.

Pre-race joy... you just wait!

I was feeling great, ready to take on the race and give it my all. The start was crowded and the pathway wasn't very wide so it seemed to take forever to get into a bit of space. 

There seemed to be runners everywhere and a lot of people were weaving in and out trying to get ahead of the pack. I tried to keep out of the way as the weavers didn't seem to care who they nearly took out in the process. I thought it would ease off as we got further into the race but it didn't until about 7km in.

Trying to hitchhike to the finish line

I kept an eye on my Garmin as I had a rough idea of what pace per mile I wanted to do. I was surprised a few times when I realised I was running faster than the plan but still felt good.

Not long to go and still smiling

At about 8km I realised I was actually doing a good time and there was a chance I could finish closer to last year's time. I decided to really go for it and see just how fast I could do it.

Every bump in the road felt like a hill and my legs were objecting. I could see the finish but it seemed like miles away. I kept on pushing and somehow managed to beat my PB!

I finish in 1:02:44 - nearly a minute quicker than last year!!

New edition to my bling

I was buzzing! I didn't think I would get close to last years race time let alone beat it. I made sure I told everyone I saw!

I found some of the Pegs and we queued for our bags, this was the perfect time to exchange race stories.

Post race chit-chat

Once everyone had picked up our bags we posed for yet another photo... we never get tired of this!

Those Les Croups get everywhere!

My employers, Spire Healthcare, provided the sports massages for the event so I popped over to see my friend, colleague and physio Pippa. She is the person who fixed me after my IT band injury and she got me back running better and stronger than ever! Faster too!

World's Best Physio!

One of the best things about being a Peg is the social side of the club. We all get on so well and it's tradition to hit a bar and talk even more about running.

Post race drinks and cwtches for the boys

This race is what I needed to keep my confidence high and to keep me excited and motivated about my running. Next up is the Cardiff Half Marathon on 2nd October and I can't wait!

Half Marathon Training Plan To Smash My PB!

I'm a girl who likes to plan, that's probably why I'm good at my job. I like to plan and organise stuff so it makes sense that I like to have a training plan otherwise I'll just bimble along without really noticing what I'm doing. In order to have a plan though I need to have something to plan for. I don't want to run another marathon this year so I'm going to aim to smash my half marathon finish time by 30 minutes. This PB (personal best) smashing attempt will take place at the Cardiff Half in October 2016 and means I need to complete it in under 2 hours and 13 minutes. Now I have no idea whether this is possible but I'm going to give it a good shot anyway and see what happens.

So far I have run just one half marathon, it was the Cardiff Half in October 2015 (my write-up is here). My plan for that half marathon was to finish it in under 2 hours and 30 mins but that plan was scuppered when I was in a car accident in September and ended up with whiplash and going to physio. I managed to get back to training after a couple of weeks but the week before the half marathon I caught a cold and could barely breathe.

My training for the whole of September barely existed, I went into the race excited but knowing that I had to take it easy to avoid injury and actually finish it, which I did in 2 hours 43 minutes and 13 seconds.

Don't get me wrong, I loved the half marathon. I ran with Katie from Pegasus whose training was also scuppered due to injury so we agreed to stick together and have as much fun as possible during the 13.1 miles. We successfully nailed that plan!

Katie and I having way too much fun!

I have drawn up a plan and incorporated things that I don't like doing e.g. hill repeats and running fast. It also includes yoga, spin and strength training as I did none of that during my marathon training and somehow still managed to survive. The plan is on my fridge so is a constant reminder that I have a goal to aim for.

Next step... execute the plan!

Knocking 30 minutes off a PB sounds like a big goal to me but in reality it's probably not as scary as I think it is. During my full marathon training long runs I always kept an eye on my half marathon distance time and managed to get it down to approximately 2 hours and 28 minutes so I just need to get it down by another 15 minutes. Easy! Maybe!

I love to blog but sometimes I don't have time to write one or I might just want to share a bit of my journey so I've set up a Facebook 'like' page to make it easier for us all. Just follow this link here and click on 'like'! I'm also on Twitter and Instagram as @sarachick4 so feel free to follow me there too.

Sharing my goal on social media makes me more accountable, I've said it out loud now so I have to give it 100% otherwise I'll regret it. So here it goes, I'm on my journey to #SmashMyPB 

Dating in the 'Diff Part 3

I haven't written a blog about my dating experiences in a while because I met a man and fell in love. Now before you say "awwwwwww" it all went to shit and I'm single again. There's still no need to say "awwwwww" though because I'm doing ok.

It all started when I was a bit bored over Easter and decided to sign up to POF (AKA Plenty of Fish) as some of my colleagues had told me it's where all the single people in Cardiff hang out. And they weren't wrong, I saw quite a few of the people I had dated or even just messaged with on match.com or Tinder so I quickly blocked them all and started my new online dating experience.

It reminded me that I hate online dating. It sucks. It can make you feel as high as a kite one minute and a self-conscious wreck the next. You have to be pretty damn self-assured to stick it out. 

I lasted 10 days but in those 10 days I chatted to a man and we agreed to meet up. I always try not to get my hopes up before the first 'meet' as people can be so different to their online profiles.

To cut a long story short, we met, we dated, we fell in love, we talked about sharing the future together, we made promises that we probably shouldn't have made yet then eventually our differences started to show and the issues caused weren't fixable. I won't go into details as that's not fair on either of us but recently I made the decision to end it. It was horrible and heartbreaking but I know deep down that it was for the best. He is a lovely man but I'm not the one for him and we both deserve to find our 'one'.

Although I'm sad and feeling hurt by the whole experience, I'm actually proud of myself too. As soon as I realised that things weren't going to improve and the issues would always be part of the relationship, I decided to end it instead of fearing that any relationship would be better than no relationship. Old Sara would have clung on for dear life rather than be single. This Sara is not afraid to be single and sometimes feel a bit lonely, she knows her own worth and that being in no relationship is better than being in one that isn't working. Sometimes I can't believe how much I've changed over the last 18 months.

So it's just me and my gorgeous boy again for a while. 

I'm sure running shoes count!

I'm going to focus on me. I've just signed up for the Manchester marathon in April 2016 so need to sort out a training plan and stick to it. This will involve a lot of running, eating, aching, sleeping and feeling a whole range of emotions. It's going to be awesome!

Yeah I am!

I'm going to spend more time seeing friends and having fun. My first year in Cardiff was pretty lonely but this year I've made more friends and become part of a running club family. I feel so grateful as I have a fantastic circle of amazing people in my life who are all extremely supportive of me and believe in me. 

I was shopping a couple of months ago and came across a pink notebook with gold writing on the front that simply said "Believe in yourself" and I knew I had to buy it. I got it home but quickly realised I had no idea what to write in it. It suddenly felt like I didn't know how to believe in myself any more so I put it to one side and left it there. 

Recently I was watching a documentary and I heard a Doctor say she used to write "I accept myself unconditionally right now" on the bottom of every prescription she gave out as she was aware that so many people just didn't accept themselves. I know I've let my self-esteem slip recently and know that I'd never actually got to a point where I felt like I accepted myself but I really, really want to. That quote was the first thing I wrote in my new notebook and now it's time to focus on me, to prioritise me, to believe in myself again. 

Cardiff Half Marathon... I Nailed It!

On Sunday I ran the Cardiff Half Marathon! I did it! I nailed it and it was awesome!

My excitement started on Saturday morning while having a cuppa with some of Pegasus after parkrun. Most people were nervous but I was already feeling like it was Christmas Eve. I kept myself busy all day and had an early night, I surprisingly slept really well so woke up at 5.30am feeling refreshed and ready to rock the run.

I posted a quick message on the Pegasus Facebook club to make sure they all knew how excited and giddy I was then got up.

I thought I should warn them!

My morning of getting ready went a bit like this... pee, sort my dog out, pee, eat breakfast, pee, take a shower, pee, drive to work to park my car, pee and then I walked over to the museum.

13.1 miles were waiting for me

I met my awesome running family, Pegasus, for pre-run chitchat and giddiness.

One very excited Peg!

After a while it was time to pee again then we all lined up ready for the Pegasus pre-run photo. As usual, a few Les Croupier runners jumped in on our fun.

Say Pegs Rule!

After the photo and then 7th toilet stop, we walked over to the baggage tents to dump our bags and made our way over to the starting pens. We passed a couple of important signs on the way.

*gulps*

I want to go there now!

Myself, Katie, Natalie and Clare were all starting in the yellow pen as we'd estimated our completion times as 2 and a 1/2 hours upwards when we signed up to the race.

The race officially started at 9am but we knew it would take a little while for us to get to the actual start as 23,000 runners had entered.

I'm in there somewhere

The first selfie of the day

Just a few people in front of us

A short wait later and we were moving closer and closer to the start. Everyone was very excited and nervous, there was music playing and so we had a little dance to keep warm and buzzing.

If you squint you can see the start!

We were at the start before we knew it and on our way. Natalie and Clare run quicker than Katie and I so we all shouted good luck to each other and they disappeared into the crowd.

Can you spot me??!!

The first mile of any run for me is usually torture as my body tries to remember how to function and questions WTF I am doing to myself. The first mile of the Cardiff half was amazing, the route was lined with people cheering us on and it flew by. We ran pass my friend Michelle's house and she was in her front garden waiting to wish me luck.

At some point during the next mile, a complete and utter psycho on a push bike decided to cross the road and weaved in between all the runners. He had a pink suitcase balancing on his handlebars and nearly rode straight into Katie. I have no idea how he didn't hurt someone. What a total idiot! 

My thoughts exactly Jackie

The following few miles went so quickly. Katie kept a close eye on our pace to make sure we didn't get carried away and ruin our game plan. We'd trained all year for this day and didn't want to take any chances.

The crowd were out in force and it felt so surreal. We were actually running the Cardiff Half marathon. We were doing it! The miles ticked by and very soon we were coming up to the barrage at Cardiff Bay.

As we ran over the barrage we passed the Royal Welsh soldiers and a couple of firemen, it was time for a hottie hunting selfie.

Spot the hotties!

The halfway mark came and my knees were starting to ache a bit, I've never had knee pain while running before so this was new! I decided to ignore my body and just keep focusing on the amazing crowd and atmosphere of the day, I was on a runners high.

One of the best things is to see someone you know in the crowd. It's awesome and as we ran up to Cardiff Prison we saw my man so I ran over for a quick kiss then we ran up Fitzalan Place and spotted Andrew and Helen, our fellow Pegs.

Hallelujah!

The next few miles ticked on by and we were soon running towards Roath Park. I did a lot of my training around this area so I was very happy that this was part of the route and towards the end of it as well. 

Mile 11 and the final water station

The last mile of any long run is very hard and it seems like it will just go on forever. This wasn't the case at the Cardiff Half, we were soon running passed the 13 mile marker and the finish was in sight. As we got closer we passed my man again and then I saw my best friend Lynn. I was so happy that she was there to watch me cross the finish line, she has been my biggest cheerleader over the last 18 months and I felt very emotional that she was watching me achieve this.

The finish got closer and closer and we picked up our pace. We didn't have enough in us to do a sprint finish but we finished our 13.1 mile run in style! It took us 2 hours, 43 minutes and 13 seconds - a new PB as it was our first half marathon.

WE DID IT!!

We picked up our t-shirt and medal then went to get our bags and make our way back over to the museum to meet the rest of the Pegs, they're quicker than us so had already finish. There was lots of hugging and then we were ready for our after photo. 

Happy and tired Pegs

Can't. Stop. Smiling!

A lot of the Pegs started walking over to the Urban Tap House where we were meeting for food. I stayed behind to chat to my Besty, Lynn, and her husband for a bit then Steve, my man and I decided to wander through the runners village on the way over to meet the others. We stopped at the Brooks stand as we'd heard that they were giving away blue shades. I asked what I had to do in order to get free stuff and the Brooks lady handed me an iPad where I filled out my name and email address, I was then able to help myself to the goodies on the table. She also said I could have a go in the lucky dip. I dug into the bin and pulled out a ping pong ball with a picture of a little trainer on it. I had won a pair of trainers. I WON A PAIR OF BROOKS TRAINERS!! Brooks are an excellent running brand and come with a larger price tag than I usually look at, I'd probably never be able to afford to buy myself a pair and now I was getting some for free! 

My goodies and winning ticket!

Damn right!

We stopped off at a couple of other stands and picked up free chocolate then went to join the others. My amazing Besty Lynn and her lovely hubby had given me a gift bag full of pressies before they left, a couple of them weren't wrapped so I dug them out and put on my new tiara and held up my trophy.

Running Princess

We all stuffed our faces and then piled in for another group photo. We never tire of taking photos!

Fed and happy!

Race stories were shared and arrangements for celebratory drinks later that evening were made. It was time to go home and relax for a while, maybe even have a little nap.

My medal and t-shirt!

When I got home I had a hot bath then made a cuppa and opened my pressies

Ooooooooo I wonder what they are!

Lynn knows me so well. Sweets, chocolate, bath bomb and a smelly candle. Result!

Best post-run pressies ever!

Winston had stayed home and his dog walker had popped over to walk him for me so I didn't have to rush back. He always likes a photo with my new medal... a bit too much in this case!

My boy!

I think this is the nicest medal I have received so far and I am so chuffed that the Roath Park clock tower is the feature of it.

My beautiful medal

The Cardiff Half marathon was more amazing that I could've ever thought possible. I was completely overwhelmed by the whole event. A year of training paid off and I was able to enjoy the phenomenal experience. Katie and I laughed and chatted the whole way round the route which just added to it. The organisation of the race was out of this world and the crowds cheering us on were incredible. 

I am so proud of myself. A year ago I crashed and burned. I have never been as low as I was then and I never imagined how different my life would be now. People say that life is full of highs and lows and I've experienced my lowest low and my highest high within a year of each other. I love my life. I actually love myself and that is one thing I never thought I would do. 

I still can't believe I did it, I completed the Cardiff Half marathon and I totally nailed it!!