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!

I Have Joined The #SportsBraSquad

Today I finally mustered up the courage and joined the #SportsBraSquad!

What's the #SportsBraSquad I hear you ask? It's an amazing social media movement started by Kelly Roberts over at Run, Selfie, Repeat (see her article here) and is centred around female runners who are being brave, embracing their perceived flaws and whipping off their running tops to run in just their sports bra/crop top.

Kelly Roberts - my runspiration (@kellykkroberts)

I've been wanting to do this for a few weeks now but I just didn't have to guts to do it. When I first came across this I was so impressed and in awe of the bravery I was witnessing but that little voice in my head said "you'll never do it, you haven't got the guts to join them plus you'll look awful so just keep that top on young lady!" I let this voice take over (again!) and I was convinced that it was right.

Now to those confident people out there this probably seems like a ridiculous movement and even more ridiculous that we haven't just whipped our tops off before now. Bless you, you are so lucky that you have no idea what we go through every day. Unfortunately there are a hell of a lot of women out there that do not feel like you and have a list of their 'flaws' that feels suffocating (me included!). So this #SportsBraSquad movement is needed and if it helps women like myself to pluck up the courage and do something brave then it's a winner in my book.

Yeah we can!

Running in a sports bra wasn't my only challenge this year. I have always worn 3/4 length running tights even in the summer and this year was no exception. I trained for my marathon in sunny-ish March and then did my marathon on a sunny April day and ended up with the most ridiculous tan lines ever. I had very tanned lower legs (from just below the knee) and white knees and upper legs - it was like someone had drawn a line around my leg and coloured in the bottom part. It looked like I was permanently wearing knee high tights! 

The very essence of sexy!

I had a wedding to go to in May and the summer coming so I knew I wanted to wear dresses and skirts but there was no way I could do that with these hum-dingers. Luckily I had a couple of weekends of sunshine to sunbath in and I bought some shorts to run in. The tanning sessions and some application of factor 50 lotion on just my tanned lower legs (I used factor 20 on the rest of me) evened out my tan. I had also carefully planned my runs so that there was no sunshine and no need to wear the shorts as I didn't want to get my upper legs out in public for fearing of much pointing and laughing from strangers.

We've had a lovely summer so the need to wear the shorts was forced upon me as there was no way in hell I was getting those tan lines back. It took me 4 long runs in the shorts to stop feeling self-conscious and eventually I stopped thinking twice before putting them on. This was when I knew I had to conquer the #SportsBraSquad challenge as well.

I planned today's 11 miler to start and end in Roath Park, the route would take me to Cardiff Bay Barrage and back. I knew the weather wasn't going to be great so there would be less people around. I started out with my running top firmly on and with the intention of taking it off for a little while mid run but I honestly thought that I was going to bottle it. I kept thinking about Kelly and all the other ladies who had been brave enough to join the #SportsBraSquad and I really wanted to be one of them. By mile 5 I had convinced myself that I was going to do it... soon.

After I crossed the Barrage I stopped and whipped off my running top. I stood there stunned at my bravery and a little unsure about what to do next. I took a quick selfie, like you do, and knew I had two options. Put the top back on or just run. As soon as I started running I knew I'd done the right thing. I couldn't believe that I had actually done it and I was running in just my sports bra and shorts. I had about 2 miles until I would start to see more people so just thought I'd put it back on before that and at least I'd done it for a couple of miles. But no, I ran the rest of my run in my sports bra and shorts! I ran through Cardiff Bay and into Cardiff centre where there were real people with eyes and everything!!

Eeeeeeeeek!

And do you know what, I didn't give a shit what anyone thought or even what I thought they might think. I just kept telling myself how proud I was of everything I'd achieved over the last 2 & 1/2 years and especially of the massive leap I'd made today towards body confidence. I actually enjoyed it and laughed at myself for making it into such a big deal. It's insane how you can allow yourself to be controlled by your perceived flaws to the point that I'd rather struggle in the heat with too many layers on just because I was worried about what people might think.

So if you see a woman out there running in her sports bra then give her a smile or a thumbs up to acknowledge what she's doing, you have no idea what's going on inside her head and what her story is. That might be the little confidence boost that she needs to do it again and again and again.

A Soggy Caerphilly 10K!

Last weekend I ran the Caerphilly 10k road race with my Pegs. It was my first race since the Manchester Marathon (did I mention I ran a marathon??) and since my IT band injury decided to feature in my life so I was a bit nervous but my nerves were soon quashed when I met up with my running buddies.

Best looking club ever!

The weather did what it loves to do in Wales, it started raining! That didn't dampen our spirits though as we all started the race together which was great, usually we're split up in our pens depending on what our estimated finish time is. 

There were about 2000 runners so it took over 3 minutes to get from our place in the pack to crossing the start line but then we were off! We all shouted 'good luck' 'have a good run' to each other and started our own races.

Tracy and I lovin' the soggy run

I knew that Caerphilly wasn't flat and was prepared for the hills but the first one was about a minute from the start line... not fun! I put my head down, paced myself and got up that hill without killing my race. As we all know what goes up must come down and I love a good downhill.

The rain was actually quite refreshing and helped to keep me cool during the tough sections, well that's what I kept telling myself anyway.

No filter, just rain

My goal for this race was purely to finish it without my knee giving in. I'd been going to physio and doing all the exercises and stretches that she told me to do so I was quite confident that me and my IT band could pull this off. I just wanted to finish without walking and without pain.

At about 4km (ish) we were running up a steady climb and I started talking to a fellow runner. Claire was doing her first ever race so we chatted for a while and discovered that we had the same race goal - just to get it done! We were matching each other's pace really well so stuck together and kept each other going.

I hadn't run further than 5 miles since the marathon and had only just been running regularly again for a couple of weeks so my fitness level felt dreadful. I honestly wasn't sure if I could run 6 miles without having to walk and know that I probably would've given in if it wasn't for Claire.

My new running buddy - we're running in sync!

After a lot of running and a lot of nattering we approached the finish line and my Pegs were there to cheer me on. 

Wooooooooo hoooooooooooo!!

We crossed the finish line and I had completed my goal. I had finish the 10k without walking and without pain. NO PAIN!! I also completed my secret goal which was to finish in under 1 hour and 10 minutes - I did it in 1 hour 9 minutes and 36 seconds!

I picked up my medal, t-shirt, goodie bag and quite possibly the smallest banana I've ever seen.

The organisers of the Caerphilly 10k had put a stage up so that posers like us could have our team photo taken.

Team Pegs

Team Pegs with Jazz hands!

The Caerphilly 10k restored my confidence in my body and my running. It reminded me that I can do anything when I put my mind to it, I forget this on a regular basis and have a tendency to doubt my abilities.

Bling!

So the next step for me is to continue running (obviously) but the hard work has to continue. I need to slowly increase my mileage again as well as focus on my speed, I want to get faster so I have to run faster even when it's uncomfortable and my body is screaming for me to slow down. I need to keep up the cross training and the strength training too. I also need to do more hill work with Caroline and her posse of pain lovers so will join them on their Monday night session of misery very soon.

Apparently this is a regular sight but with more tears and shouting!

I've signed up for 3 more races this year, the first is the Severn Bridge half marathon at the end of August and will give me a good indication on how much I need to improve for the Cardiff half marathon in October where I'm still planning to smash my PB. I'm also doing the Cardiff 10K in September and want to beat last year's time. I'll probably enter a few other races along the way but these are the 3 I want to focus on.

Wish me luck!

Body Image Breakthrough... Well A Step In The Right Direction At Least!

Anyone that really knows me will know that I struggle with my body image. Over the last couple of years I've worked on increasing my fitness and self-esteem which has helped with my body image issues but I seem to have hit a wall that I need to get passed so I can continue onto the next part of my journey.

This all started at a young age so I have approximately 30 years of damage to un-do somehow. I grew up around women who were constantly on one diet or another, who were never happy with their own body or weight so it's no surprise that I grew up with an unhealthy outlook on body image.

My weight went up and down by approximately 3 stone on a regular basis between the ages of 15 - 27. I would lose weight then think I could go back to eating 'normally' so the weight would just pile back on and I'd beat myself up for it. I would lose weight again and think I could eat 'normally' again and I'd beat myself up for putting the weight back on again. Lose weight... eat... beat self up... repeat.

Finally at 27 years old I realised that something had to change if I wanted to keep the weight off. I still didn't have the 'perfect' body and I wasn't happy in my own skin as my yo-yo dieting had left it's mark (stretch marks, un-toned areas and cellulite). I decided to count calories in order to maintain my weight but all this did was make me miserable and hungry. When I was overweight I always assumed that being slim would automatically mean that I would be happy. Oh how wrong I was and I ended up going into an 8 years unhealthy relationship which killed my self-esteem, made me feel totally inadequate and not worthy of real love. That's why it took me so long to realise I was worth more than that and to finally get out of the relationship.

A few months after I left my ex-husband I decided to start running, I wanted to find a way to eat what I wanted without putting the weight back on and to get a bit fitter in the process. This helped but I was still a slave to the weighing scales and every time I put on a lb I would beat myself up until I lost it again.

Last summer I decided to put the scales away and I haven't weighed myself since, this was actually pretty liberating but hasn't stopped the way I see my body. Although I eat healthily most of the time and am fitter than I've ever been in my life, I still have a negative body image. Even after I ran a marathon I still have the same thoughts and feelings about my body. My body got me through 26.2 miles but I still don't love it. This is when I realised that I have to re-train my brain, I have to re-programme myself, I have to learn to love myself unconditionally otherwise I'll continue on this cycle of self-criticism and self-judgement forever.

A few days ago I started reading a blog about how to go about this change and the writer said to focus on the things you like about your body instead of the things you don't. Obviously I scoffed at this because it seemed so simple and 'fluffy' but her words stuck in my head. Today I decided to write a list of the things I don't like about my body and another list of the things I do like about my body. 

I fully expected for the first list to be much longer than the second so was gobsmacked to realise that I'd listed 9 things I don't like and 18 things I do like. I like double the amount of things about my body than I don't so why do I dislike my body still? This revelation hit me like a ton of bricks and I'm still trying to process it now.

I've also written a list of the things I could do to improve the things on my "don't like" list and hopefully transfer them over to the "like" list one day, or at least become indifferent to them. I know some damage isn't repairable and I have to find a way to get past it. I'm a work in progress.

I haven't written this blog post because I'm looking for compliments or to be told that I'm fine just the way I am, far from it - although I always smile and say thank you, those comments tend to go in one ear and out the other as I find it hard to make them stick when I don't see it for myself. Writing this blog over the last 1 & 1/2 years has been therapeutic so I'm writing this post for me. Sometimes I just need to get things out of my head so that I can organise my thoughts and start to address them. This post has been a long time coming and I've always shied away from writing it as it was easier than facing this issue once and for all.

I'm also writing this for all the other people out there who are going through a similar thing, they need to know that they're not alone. I hope it helps for them to know that someone else gets what they're going through. 

Thank You!

I just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who sponsored me to run the Manchester marathon, Friends of the Dogs Wales and I really appreciate it.

Knowing that I was fundraising for such an amazing cause helped me get through some of the toughest training runs I've ever done, they were brutal but I did it! The Manchester marathon was my first marathon and an amazing experience, I still can't quite believe that I've done it (my write-up is here).

So far you have helped me to raise £468.03 (including gift aid) which is incredible and will help so many doggies who don't have their forever home yet.

Yeah you are!!

My fundraising page is open until 10th July so if you haven't had chance to sponsor me but would still like to then please click here.

Thank you again!!

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