I Survived The Newport Half Marathon

On Sunday I joined a bunch of Pegasus and SMR runners at the Newport Half Marathon. I'd signed up at the end of last year and didn't want to let a little thing like being injured and hardly running since January put me off.

I had done a few 3 mile runs and a 5 mile run since end of January and that was about it. I decided to run it anyway and told myself that I would run/walk or just walk if my glute/hip started hurting again. What's the worst that could happen??!!

Obligatory pre-race bid on vest photo

My running buddy Sarah picked me up and we set off in the pouring rain for Newport. We were following her tomtom which seemed to want to add a bit of drama and mystery to the route so took us through the lanes, this was fun until we got to one part that basically had a lake in the middle of it. Swear words happened. We looked at each other and decided to just slowly drive through and keep everything crossed. It worked! We didn't kill the car or drown. Bonus!

Only exaggerating slightly...

We got to Newport, parked the car and joined the Pegs in the leisure centre for pre-race chit chat and about 3 visits to the toilet.

All smiles and nerves ready for the start

We all said good luck to each other and split into 2 group: the speedy-pants-Pegs and the not-so-speedy-pants-Pegs.

Luckily this wasn't the queue for the bathroom

I started the race with Sarah, Wendy and Clare as we were all going for about the same finish time.

We seem to have lost Clare...

The start of any race or run for me is the worse part. It takes about 3-4 miles for my body to settle down and find its stride, add recovering from injury into the mix and I was seriously doubting my bright idea to run this half marathon.

Always playing up for the camera!

Clare and I got into a nice pace together and around mile 8 we rounded a corner then I shouted "PIGS!!" On the side of the bank were 2 big pigs just going about their pig business while nearly 2000 people ran past them. We decided to stop for photos.

Because pigs like selfies too

We carried on along the path and as we were coming up to mile 10 I could hear bagpipes. I said to Clare "can you hear bagpipes?" and luckily she said yes, I was a bit worried that I was hearing things due to overdosing on energy gels and jelly babies.

We decided to stop again and have a selfie. Clare also did a bit of a Scottish jig which he seemed to very much enjoy and it also entertained a few runners who looked at us like we were crazy and didn't realise that we were running a half marathon.

Bag pipe man!

The last 3 miles of the race were a bit of a blur. My legs were on fire and I don't actually know how I kept going but Clare and I dragged each other through it and finally we were very nearly at the finish. A marshal shouted "sprint finish" and off we bolted. We were lightening quick. Or at least that's what I felt like I was doing. I was probably only going slightly faster than a shuffle at that point.

It's finally over!

We managed to meet up with Sarah just before the finish which was lovely and we came through within a few seconds of each other. Once finally through the finish arch we all hugged, congratulated each other and held on to each other for dear life and fear of falling over.

I'm sure this is what I looked like when trying to walk

We walked through the runners village and collected our goody bag, medal and finishers t-shirt. We were also handed a foil blanket and a chocolate bar, or maybe I just mugged someone. Who knows.

The Newport Half Marathon medal is MASSIVE! It's slightly bigger than my Manchester Marathon medal and I only had to run half a far to get this bad boy.

Check out my bling!

We were one of the last of the club to finish but somehow were the first ones back to the leisure centre so compared race stories and took some photos.

Exhausted and happy lady-Pegs

It wasn't a long wait until a load more Pegs and SMR arrived so we huddled together for a group shot.

My running family

Now no race day blog would be complete without a picture of my boy Winston and my bling, so here it is...

Bling bling!

I am very happy to report that my injury seems to have settled and I didn't get any pain at all during or after the run. The worst pain I had was the general aching all down my legs from running 13.1 miles when I'd hardly trained for it but that's nothing a few painkillers and a hot bath followed by yoga the next morning didn't fix!

By 4pm I was on the sofa wanting to go to bed but I managed to stay up until 8.30pm when I admitted defeat and took myself off to bed. I was exhausted.

Zzzzzzzzzzzz

All in all it was a great day, the sun made an appearance a few times and the rain held off. I couldn't have asked for more. My finish time was 2 hours 34 minutes and 6 seconds and I am very happy with that. It's not my fastest half time but is 10 minutes quicker than my first half marathon and only a minute slower than the Severn Bridge half marathon that I did in August 2016.

So what next I hear you ask... well I've just signed up for the Swansea half at the end of June with a finish time goal of sub 2 hours and 15 minutes which will knock nearly 10 minutes off my PB. It's an achievable goal but means I need to focus on my speed work, hill work and I need get my long run distance back up into the double figures again. I'm totally up for the challenge and very excited to start my new training plan.

Wish me luck!

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!!

Severn Bridge (Very Very F**king Hilly) Half Marathon!

I'll set the scene for you. It was Sunday... it was 4:35am and my alarm was making a racket... it was raining outside... I had to try to wake up, get my arse out of bed, sort the dog out, get showered, dressed, fed and out of the house to pick up some of my running buddies. All this because we were running the Severn Bridge Half Marathon!

Looks a lot flatter in this photo!

At 7am the coach picked us up and we were on our way. We were a combination of Pegasus and Seriously Mad Runners (SMR) and a surprisingly quiet bunch, there was no singing or dancing in the aisle, I think the race day nerves were starting to set in.

#PegsOnTour with our SMR buddies!

Once we arrived in the race village, we collected our numbers, dropped our bags off then joined the queue for the toilets.

A club that pees together, stays together!

We'd been told there was a bit of a walk to the start line and that the race was starting at 9am prompt so we ditched our support crew and headed off.

Don't want to get the two mixed up!

Excitement was kicking in as we reached the start, we are a club that like to take a lot of selfies and Julie did the honours.

Peace out!

The start line was split into predicated finish times so a group of us said "good luck" to the speedy Pegs and SMR then made our way to the back of the queue.

Life's more fun at the back of the start!

Just a handful of runners

And then we were off, England bound!

Sally, Tracy and I making sure we covered the whole photo

The main reason I signed up for this race is that I wanted to run across the bridge, it's approximately 2 miles each way but I still had to do the other 9.1 miles apparently. Also the idea of running in both England and Wales during the same half marathon appealed to me (I'm English but I live in Wales - for those of you who didn't know that).

Luckily the weather had cleared up and the sun had come out so the views were gorgeous.

If you squint you can see the other bridge

Very soon the Pegs split up and we all ran our own race. I have a habit of killing my runs by shooting off too quickly in the first mile so I didn't try to keep up with anyone and watched my Garmin as much as possible. I was very sensible and did a normal paced first mile. I know, I'm still in shock too!

*waves bye to Pegs*

Once we got off the bridge, we headed into a little English village (can't remember the name). I loved this part as it was an 'out and back' so I got to watch the fastest Pegs fly past me on their way back towards the bridge. An 'out and back' is a good distraction, it keeps my mind off what I'm doing as I try to spot familiar faces and check out the *coughs* running 'talent'.

On my way back home to Wales!

The hardest part of the race for me was coming back over the bridge, I had started to feel tired and the bridge seemed to last FOREVER! I was only 5-6 miles in at this point so decided to take an energy gel and see if that helped. As soon as I got off the bridge I felt my energy return and started to overtake some runners who had passed me earlier.

I'm not sure what's worse. Suddenly coming to the bottom of a hill and realising you have to run up it or running down a long hill knowing that you have to run back up it again. We had to do the latter. Running down was awesome, it was an 'out and back' again so I saw loads of my Pegs. We high 5'd and cheered each other on, some were running and looking like they thought it would never end and some were walking up it. That bit was great! 

One of many but the worst of them all!

We got to the bottom and ran through another lovely village but then ended up back at the bottom of the hill again. I think there comes a time in everyone's race where they think "F**k it, I can walk uphill quicker than I'm running it!" and so they stop shuffling their feet and hiked up that bad boy like it was Pen Y Fan. They had definitely saved the worse hill for last... bastards!

The next mile was downhill again and I just let my legs do the work, the race was nearly over and I couldn't wait to get my shiny race bling and see my Pegs and SMR buddies.

My Garmin beeped at 13 miles and there was only 0.1 to go! Yay! But wait... what the hell is this? A hill? Another hill?! 

My thoughts exactly!

I looked up and saw a couple of my Pegs towards the top and I knew I just had to get my arse up that hill. At the top I could see the finish and I just pelted towards it. As I got closer I heard the cheers of my Pegs and SMR so out came the "wooooooooooooo hooooooooooooooo" as I whooshed past them.

It was over! I had survived!

My chip time was 2:33:46 which was 10 minutes faster than last year's Cardiff Half, it was a really hilly route and only my 2nd half marathon so I'm very pleased with that. Cardiff is pretty much flat so I'm planning on knocking some more time off in October.

Bling bling!

My work buddy, Carol

As you know, I run to eat and I like to eat all the stuff that's bad for me. Luckily Graham had brought a tray of donuts and was dishing them out.

Carb loading!

We had all brought food with us so settled down to eat, compare race stories and cheer on the last few runners coming through the finish.

Now you can't get a camera out without us lining up and having our photo taken, it can get a bit awkward when we do this in front of people who probably didn't want to take a photo of us but hey, we just don't care!

Steve and Laura about to do some showgirl style high kicks

After the coach trip home, I drove back to my house to see my boy. He was very happy to see me and quick to tell me that I needed a wash.

Wearing the latest fashion from the Severn Bridge

Once I was clean and presentable (and had passed Winston's inspection) I popped open a bottle of bubbly to celebrate my achievement and invited my 2 favourite men round to watch a movie.

Hello fellas! *hic*

Apparently completing this half marathon guarantees me a place for next year and I'm really excited because they're doing a marathon using both Severn Bridges, it's probably going to be a one-off so there's no way I'm missing out! I've also entered the ballot for the London marathon 2017 so if I get into that then I'll be doing 2 marathons next year. Yikes!

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 

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!!