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!!

1 Week To Go...

...until I run the Cardiff half marathon!

Up until a month ago I was quietly confident about my run. I had already completed a 13.1 mile long run so knew I could do the distance and was more excited than anxious about the race. Then the car accident happened and I ended up with whiplash so bang went my training plan.

I had a week off running then did a few short runs the following week and I managed an 11 mile run on the Saturday. Then I caught a cold and it knocked me on my arse.

I hurt all over, my nose was running like a tap, my sinus' throbbed and my eyes watered constantly. I managed to get through most of the working week but couldn't quite make it and worked from home on Friday. I'd already had a few days off sick because of the whiplash and didn't want to take more time off.

So to get me back into it I'm planning 3 short runs this week and then no running on Saturday. This is what's on my training plan so at least I might feel back in control of it again. I hope so anyway. I want to enjoy the run. I want to get excited this week but I can't help but feel panicked and anxious. Hopefully tomorrow's short run will get me back on track and settle some of the nerves.

So if you're in Cardiff on Sunday 4th October and you see people running around with a number pinned to their chest, give them a cheery shout or a wave. If one of those runners is wearing a Pegasus top then give us a "looking strong Pegasus". Feel free to also throw us jelly beans, jelly babies, haribo or some sort of little sugary treat cos we'll probably need it. If you're a bit arty then bring down a sign so you don't have to keep shouting.

My favourite sign so far

Us runners love it when complete strangers cheer us on, it makes us feel connected and as though anything is possible.

Running is very similar to the British weather!

On Saturday I did my last long run before the Cardiff Half Marathon... oh wait, did I mention that I'm running a half marathon? In Cardiff?

Maybe once or twice then

It was my first long run since my car accident where I ended up with whiplash. I'd taken 3 days off work and a week off running as I was so uncomfortable and achey. The week leading up to last Saturday I had done 3 very small runs just to ease back into and for some unknown reason I had decided to go ahead with my long run.

My feelings exactly!

I was very sensible(ish) and drove to Roath Park then parked my car leaving it with fresh water and jelly beans. My route was planned to allow a refuel break at the car at mile 8. I had also decided that if I didn't want to run any more then I would jump in the car and go home. If I was ok to run more than I had another 3 mile route planned.

A lot of things go through my mind when I'm running, most of it is drivel but sometime it makes sense. During this run I decided that it was very similar to the British weather. One day it's glorious sunshine then by the afternoon it's peeing it down, freezing and you're soaked to the skin. After a few minutes/hours it's sunshine and birds singing again!

So this was my run...

Mile 1 = Oooooo this feels good, I'm liking this run today already.

End of mile 1 = Oh balls, that was too quick. Must remember to make sure Katie paces the start of the half marathon, she's more sensible than me.

Mile 2 = La la la laaaaaaaaaaaaa... *nearly starts skipping*

Mile 3 = Hmmmm this is feeling a bit tougher now. I feel like I've been running for at least 6 miles so I must be over halfway! *glances at Garmin* WTF my Garmin is broken! There is no way this is only mile 3 *looks around to compare with map imprinted on mind so I don't get 'diverted' again* oh crap this is only mile 3!

Mile 4 = Must keep going, I'll stop at that big roundabout thingy for a refuel. Must keep going. Legs why have you stopped running? Start running again now! OK, so I'm running again. This hurts.

Mile 4.5 = I'll just run down this underpass thingy and hope I don't get raped and murdered. Oh good, more runners so it's a lot less likely that I'll be killed... although the run would then be over! Better refuel quickly.

Mile 5 = Pretty sure I've got a blister starting... apart from that this run isn't going tooooooooo badly. I've probably had worse and it's not worse that the Brecon 10. Right, focus on something motivational... what can I have to eat tonight? I'll have burnt off about a million calories after this run. How many squares of chocolate can I shove in my mouth at once. Must remember to test that out one day.

Mile 6 = Oh crap I just swallowed a fly again! Actually a bit of protein won't kill me right now. I'm starting to enjoy this run again, whodafunkit?!

Mile 7 = I'm stopping at my car... this is horrible... I can't go any further... this run sucks... I hate running... running is the worse thing ever... why oh why did I decide to become a runner?

Mile 8 = Hello car, I love you! *eats jelly beans and has fresh water* You know what, I think I can do that extra 3 miles

Mile 9 = WTF was I thinking? When will this f*cking run end. I hurt. I really hurt. I want it to be over. Please be over soon. Why oh why didn't I stop at my car and just go home??!!

Mile 10 = Come on mile 10... be over mile 10... it's been ages since my Garmin beeped to say I was starting mile 10... I'll just have a cheeky glance at it to make sure it hasn't stopped. What do you mean 10.25??!! I'm sure I haven't checked you for at least 10 minutes. Are you broken? You seem to be working. Damn it! I deserve to bathe in Ben & Jerry's after this god damn awful run.

Mile 11 = Finally it's over! Don't cry... don't cry... the car is just over there... don't cry... don't cry.


I finally got into my car and didn't cry, I laughed in a I'm-in-pain sort of way. That run was tough in places but I know I'm half marathon ready now and will hopefully enjoy the race a lot more after putting in so much training.

Yeah it is!!

13.1 miles is a long time to think about stuff!

Last Saturday I completed my first ever 13.1 mile run. It wasn’t an organised race but a training run with just me, my iPod, some gel packs and my runners.

According to my training plan I was only supposed to do 12 miles but I thought an extra 1.1 miles wouldn’t kill me and if I actually completed it then I’d have run a half marathon 6 weeks before my actual half marathon! Oh, did I mention I'm running the Cardiff Half Marathon?

I didn't think I had

I set off at about 9.30am and didn’t mind if it took me 3 hours to do it. I did tell my boyfriend my route so if I wasn’t back within 4 hours then he could come and rescue me.

Oh my hero! *swoons*

I may have been ‘redirected’ during my run as I hadn’t paid close enough attention to my planned route. My Pegasus pals will be shocked to hear this as I don’t regularly get lost on runs and have to use Google maps to find my way back to the route… nope, never done that before. Ok, maybe I have a few times but that’s what happens when I’m allowed out on my own!

Probably, yes.

It took me 2 hours, 34 minutes and 17 seconds to run 13.1 miles. I went through half a bottle of water, 2 gel packs and 44 songs on my iPod. At times I felt like I was flying and other times I felt like this...

Actually he's probably going faster!

I arrived at my boyfriend’s house and fell on the lounge floor, I let him peel my runners and socks off my feet – my body started aching as soon as I stopped running, it was agony and bliss at the same time. He then gave me my protein shake and a banana which I drank/ate while inspecting my latest blister… hello new friend, so pleased to meet you!

I really enjoyed the run (afterwards obviously!) and it took a while for it to sink in that I'd just run 13.1 miles. I had run 13.1 miles... for fun!

During my 13.1 miles of 'fun' I had a lot of time to think. I also have a mantra that I play on repeat in my head when the run gets really tough "will this pain ever stop, will this run ever end, I don’t want to do this anymore, this sucks, I want cake!" "I can do this, I am strong, I can do this!" Simple yet effective. I have grown up saying "I can't" or finding excusing that prevent me having to try as I was too afraid to fail. Becoming a runner has taught me so much about myself

• My mind is more powerful than I give it credit for... just need to apply the same to cake
• My body is strong and it's only getting stronger
• Failing isn't a bad thing, in fact it's a good thing as I learn from it and move on
• Never say never – I never thought I’d run ½ mile let alone 13.1 miles!

So with this in mind I have decided to stop calories counting and stressing about my weight so much, I have removed my weighing scales from the bathroom. I'm going to be aware of what I eat but not be so obsessed. My body is never going to be perfect. It will always have its not-so-toned bits and the white scars from stretch marks but it carried me through 13.1 miles last weekend so it's fucking strong and amazing. 

My body should be treated the way it deserves to be treated. It's never let me down and it keeps going on and on even when my brain is telling it to stop. It just doesn't listen. So now I'm going to start listening to my body. I'm going to feed it a healthy and balanced diet (most of the time anyway) and I'm going to exercise it even when I can't be bothered and would rather hold the sofa down instead. More importantly I'm going to reward it with treats and cake and not punish it and myself for indulging now and again. I'm sick of the guilt I feel every time I eat something 'naughty'. It's not naughty, its a reward and we both deserve it!

Top tip!!

Brecon 10 Mile Hilly Road Race

On Sunday morning I woke up and decided to run the Brecon 10 mile hilly road race. I had signed up for it but had a bad cough, was on anti-biotics and hadn't run for a week. My last run was my 10 mile trial run and I abandoned it after 6 1/2 miles as I felt so ill. Up until I woke up I thought I was going to give it a miss but no, I went against all common sense and decided it was a good idea to run!

I met my Pegasus pals at the athletics track in Brecon and we had time for a pre-race selfie.

Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese!

This was our view of the start line.

Lots of familiar faces... or backs of heads

We were quite close to the start line but we still nearly missed the start. One minute we were chatting away and then next people in front of us had started running so we quickly joined in.

Luckily for me, Garry decided to stick with me for the run. Running is so much more fun when you run with friends.

My running buddy Garry and the awesome Brecon views

I'd been warned to take photos on the way out as the way back was pretty much all uphill! The first 5 miles consisted of me thinking "I've got to run back up this hill!"

Runfie!

I have to admit, I was happy to be running and my cough seemed to disappear but the run was really hard work. Even the stunning views didn't seem to distract me from the pain.

Taken while running

Wait for us car!

The bridge around mile 6... or 7... or 8... I can't remember!

If it hadn't been for Garry, I would've given up at around mile 6 or 7. I ached from head to toe, it was hot and I just wanted to sit down for a second but Garry kept me going. He is a legend and I am so grateful that he stayed with me for the whole 10 miles.

Me and Garry

From about 9 miles onwards I could've fallen down at any step but something kept me on my feet. The race ended on the athletic track and I couldn't wait to get to the finish line.

Very nearly at the finish!

I usually end a run on a sprint finish but I had nothing left in me, if I tried to go faster I'm pretty sure I would just fall over and have to crawl to the end instead.

Exactly how I felt

When I stopped running I discovered a new fun thing called jelly legs. I had to walk from the finish line to the medal, t-shirt and water tent. I have no idea how I got there, all I wanted to do was this...

Let me lie down!

Somehow I got my medal, my t-shirt and a bottle of water then one of my Pegs gave me a banana which I scoffed it down like I hadn't eaten for a year then downed the bottle of water. I felt a bit better and started to remember my own name.

Tis me... Sara!

Me, my man and my new medal

Me and my Pegs... plus a photo bombing Les Croupier

T-shirt AND a medal!! Ka-ching!

Medal close up!

My aim was to complete the race within 2 hours. This would mean me doing 12 minute miles and I thought that was achievable if I could just keep going. Well I actually completed it in 1 hour 52 mins and 55 seconds which is an average pace of 11:14 minute miles!!

Now races aren't all about time, medals and t-shirts, they are about other things too like 'how many calories did I burn off so how much food can I now eat?' Priorities people!

1215 calories burnt off... where's the cake?!

Yup!

On the way home my lovely man took me to McDonalds for my post race treat! He is a god!

McDonalds quarter pounder meal and a McFlurry... heaven!

I came away from the race in pretty good condition considering I hadn't run more than 8 miles total for a couple of weeks but I did pick up a couple of war wounds.

War wound 1

War wound 2

I decided that the McDonalds wasn't enough of a treat so ended the day with a bottle of Asti and a chocolate cornetto whilst cwtched up on the sofa with my man... bliss!

Post race treat number 2

Here are the provisional results...

273 out of 285 runners!

I am really happy with coming 273 out of 285 especially as I had prepared myself to either come last or to not finish at all.

My main reason for running the Brecon 10 was to see if my training was on track for the Cardiff Half Marathon (have I mentioned that I'm running a half marathon?!). I thought that if I could do 10 miles of hilly road racing with 2 months left before the half then I could definitely complete 13.1 miles of flatness in Cardiff.

But completing the Brecon 10 mile was about so much more than my half marathon training schedule. It made me realise that I can push myself to the point of collapse and still remain standing (well wobbling!). It made me ache from head to toe but I am loving the pain, it hasn't dented my buzz and I can't wait to get my runners on again. I have accomplished so much more than I ever thought I was capable of and I'm so damn proud of myself.

For those of you who have read some of my older blogs, you know exactly what my struggle with low self-esteem has been. When I started this journey I had no idea who I was or what I could do with my life. It's been an emotional 10 months but I wouldn't change a second of it.

*high 5s self*