I am Spartan tough!

This weekend after a very late night at the Amazing Alison's Wedding, I went to part take in the Spartan Sprint. I always thought that I didn't like to get dirty. Running through the long muddy puddles makes up for all of the time your mom told you not to!

I liked this event because its a whole different sort of athlete than I have experienced with all the other challenges that I been a part of. It was nice because with running it is a very one directional sport but it was nice to have a break with an obstacle to vary the activity so if you are the kind of person who hates to run, I think you might like this because it is not just running. But if you feel really challenged by running, I suggest get some miles under your belt first.

The other reason why I like this event was because I am in contact with a lovely group of runners but I hardly see them except for events like this. They belong to the RAF Running Group and the forum they are in is so motivating. From the last time I saw them which was at the Cambridge Half Marathon, they have all achieved a lot and I had to tell them that!

The 7k race itself was very interesting. We ran up and down hills, crawled (or if you were lazy like me rolled) under barbed wire, climbed ropes, did a million burpees, carried sacks up and down hills, ran through mud, and walked through a 400 meter sewage pipe in the dark! A lady behind me who was claustrophobic keep her hand on my hand for reassurance and some of the guys from base started singing which was good because they had nice voices and made the time go by. We jumped over fire and belly crawled through ice to avoid an electrical shock.I did freeze trying to figure a way to get through without a shock and other people just dived in, I think they were wondering why I hesitated and when they touched the lines, they found out why! I made it through without a shock though!

To my surprise, I really enjoyed it. I thought I would not like to get dirty but it wasn't that bad and after my shoes got soaked I forgot all about it. I wish that I had brought gloves, worn longer shorts (no one like rope burn on the inside of your legs) and had a team like the RAF Running group to join me but it was still great! I did try to motivate people who looked like they were struggling as I had my Garmin on so I knew how far we had gone. Everyone was very encouraging like teammates would be.

I am not sure if I would do this again but if I do, I need to work on my upper body strength so I can climb the rope (and can avoid more burpees!). I am also writing this the day after covered in bruises and a sore bum but proud of them so maybe its too soon to tell!

I have decided and signed up!

So I have decided to do the Great Yarmouth Marathon! One its supposed to be the flat; two it is in October and right after my half which I can use for training; three, its a marathon and four, it is a short drive away although we are staying up there the night before not something Jon is happy about.

I got a training calendar (http://health.nytimes.com/run-well/users/DcDufNc6rlp/performance) which I was able to upload to google calendar and then I could copy the training to my calendar (if you have read my blog you will know I do not run on Sundays!)

So now I feel a bit more motivated, I know I can do it and 14 weeks is way better to run than 20 so I think this is the best way forward! I don't want to waste my time training and have it cancelled, if it is I will take it as a sign!

Come join me!

London to Cambridge Bike Ride 22 July 2012

Finished!

I did the London to Cambridge Bike Ride last year with Jane and Jon's dad, Charles. It was a good event despite the fact that Jane and my bikes were lost for 2 hours because the lorry carrying them got lost even though he was supposed to just follow the coach we were on.

This year I didn't think I was going to be able to do because I was on Brownie Pack Holiday but the fabulous Brown Owl said I could go because we had a smaller group of brownies than we thought.

I really wanted to do this one this year because my husband and his dad were going to do it and I wanted to be a part of it. Four years ago my husband had a horrible accident at work that has really limited his life, he cannot walk too far, cannot run, had to give up sailing but helping me train for my marathon (he rode on a bike next to me for a 20 mile run) opened up a door for him. He thought if he could try this event.

We got really lucky with the weather as it has been really bad lately. It was the perfect day and we all were able to stay together, my bike didn’t get lost as we went down with Charles’ work. I was so proud of Jon as it is a struggle for most people but to be able to complete this with his leg was amazing!

Big Bike Ride 125 mile- 8 July

The Big Bike Ride was going to be a challenge and I knew it. This was the first time that Cambridge did an event like this. It was 201.2 km (125 miles). It started off from Jesus Green and went up North to Doddington through Huntingdon  and swung back through St Neots and then back into Cambridge.


The route was well manned with 5 checkpoints along the way with a van sweep the end to catch people in trouble. They had free food and water along the way which I thought was great as most of the rides I have been on only seem to give it out at the end.

I struggles on this ride. My knee started tpo hurt at mile 40 and I tried to keep going but 25 miles usually takes 1.5 hours but it was up to 2 hours becauseI was going so slow because I was in so much pain. I did not have any pain killers so when I got to the 100 mile checkpoint at 5 p.m. (I thought I would have been finished by then and probably would have been without the trouble of my knee) I had to admit defeat and call my husband to ask him to pick me up.

I hear that they are going to do this again next year and I would like to give it another go.

Bury to Clare- 10 June 2012

Joyce, Jane and Me

Jane an Joyce were taking part in the Suffolk Walking Festival all week long and I decided to join then on the Sunday on the walk from Bury St Edmunds to Clare. This was a different type of walk than I was used to and couldn't understand why Jane kept saying they were walking together. On this walk we all walked together with the guides and there was a bus at the end to take us back. We got lost a couple of times and so the distance was more than some people could do. But we did meet some people who now take part in the Great Barrow Challenge.

Norwich 100- 27 May 2012

Norwich 100 was another first for me. I needed to wrack up some serious mileage. I completed the London to Cambridge Bike Ride and thought that this would be a good one to take part in. I had to do this by myself because none of my friends were cray enough to join me on this one.

The weather was great and we took of from the centre of Norwich near the cathedral. We headed west and then came back round via the coast. I was a bit shocked about how hilly it was as I had always heard the fens were flat.

Although I was by myself I ended up seeing the same people all over and chatted a bit along the way. A guy from a group of riders on racing bikes said to me 'Can i just tell you how amazing you are, going that fast on that bike?'

I finished in less than 8 hours and was happy with that but was exhausted by the time I drove home. 

Perfect for the keen cyclist!

Ready to Rock!

Shakespeare Marathon- 29 April 2012

I was so excited to do the Shakespeare Marathon. I trained hard with the Dusty and felt that I was ready to accept the challenge. It was really rainy around that time but I was up for the challenge. Right before I got there I started thinking, ‘can I do this?’ The organisers had to cancel the full marathon because it was 40 mile winds with 60 mile gusts and it was raining nonstop. I have to admit I got really upset. I had given up such a large chunk of my time running longer and harder than I have ever done before for this day and they wouldn’t let us do it. I understand why they wouldn’t as I think everyone would have had hypothermia but still I have been waiting for this day come for months.

I did run the half though in 1:48 which was not bad based on the conditions. I first tried to avoid the puddles but one time I couldn’t because there were people in the way so I just kept running through the rest of them. I was freezing by the end but I did it!

I have to pay a tribute to my hubby because he stood out in the rain waiting for me to finish and was as wet as I was by the end. Luckily for him, his mate gave in an umbrella as a gift for being an usher in his wedding to use while he waits for me to finish.

The Shakespeare Marathon is a circular marathon consisting of two laps. It starts in the centre of Stratford-Upon-Avon and runs through the countryside. It is very picturesque and is the first marathon for quite a few people I know. If it had been better weather it would have been mine too and unfortunately I didn't have any weekends free straight after that to do another one.

Spring Barrow Challenge- 17 March 2012

Jane and Me

The Great Barrow Challenge started to have a few more events over the year and of course Jane and I had to be a part of it. We walked 26.2 miles and had a good time but just so you know walking a marathon is not as easy as it looks!

Sainsbury Sport Mile- 25 March 2012

Hannah and Me

My friend, Hannah, who is the current Sweaty Betty Cambridge boutique manager, was doing the Sainsbury Sport Relief Mile. She was shooting for the 3 mile course with her then boyfriend now husband and his fitness class members. Three miles was a great goal for her as she is not a regular runner but quite active in other sports such as tennis and she of course attends Andy’s classes (not sure if it is by choice though :).

I was training up for the Shakespeare Marathon and had to run 18 miles that day so I decided I would go and support Hannah and join her for the Sainsbury Sport Mile but do the 6 mile one so that I could get the miles in. I ran from my house to Milton Country Park and did the Sports Mile and then ran up the path along the River Cam to the Sailing Club near Waterbeach.

I really enjoyed this event, it was organised and the atmosphere was really good too. I like things like this because some people use this to get themselves more active and I always hope that if they have trained for this that they will carry on. I always try to be motivating for those that I come across by saying ‘well done’ and ‘keep it up’ and if someone stops to walk; I tell them ‘you are almost finished’. I hope that they do not find this patronising and I often think I should wear a shirt with a picture of what I used to look like so that they know that I have not always been the size that I am.  Those are the real people that inspire me to keep running because it reminds me of the tough road I have travelled and that we all have to start somewhere. If you are one of those people that are trying to lose weight or get into shape, keep it up and know that I am cheering for you!

Cambridge Half Marathon- 11 March 2012

Sweaty Betty Running Club

When I heard that Cambridge was getting a half marathon, I had to be one of the first ones to sign for it! I knew many of the girls I met through Sweaty Betty would be taking part, knowing people in the events that you do sure do make a difference.

For this half marathon I wanted to push myself and rely on what I knew about my body. I had a cramp and other issues during the Run to the Beat Half Marathon due to trying things from other people’s suggestions last minute rather than sticking with what I know. I know that not everything works for everyone and one of the key things about running is you have to know your own body and whilst everyone's tips are good to hear in the end you need to trust your instincts. I don't do well with eating before I run but I have been able to give myself a spoonful of honey about an hour before. I have tired eating well before but it doesn’t seem to make a difference. Another key tip is do not do anything different on the day that you have not done in your training that is when you should try new things.

The Cambridge Half Marathon was well organised and very scenic going through the city centre of Cambridge and most of it I run anyways so I felt comfortable with the route. The only thing I didn’t like was the fact that it looped around twice so you had to run the same bits again. Sometimes I think this is a plus and a minus. The positive side, you know where you are going and what is coming up. On the negative side it can feel dull and boring because you have been there before. I was shooting for 1:45 for my time and was very excited about my 1:45:36 time! So all the training and listening to myself paid off!

Cambridge Half Marathon is scheduled for 10 March 2013. I hope to see you there!

Me, Jenn and Anna

Burn the Pudding!- 27 Dec 2011

Jane, Joyce and Me

We all know we overeat at Christmas so Jane and I took part in the Great Barrow Challenge's Burn the Christmas Pudding 26.2 mile walk! We had really nice weather and it was a great day for relaxing after all the festivities of Christmas.

EACH Santa Run- 27 November 2011

I love the EACH Santa Runs and take part in them every year. How can you not have fun running in a Santa costume? I went to Bury St Edmunds this year to do mine and was joined by lovely ladies from the RAF Running Club (I finally got to meet them since I had been speaking to them online for months). This is a great event for the family as one of the ladies had her family there and just had her baby weeks maybe even days before. The Base Commander from RAF Lakenheath was there too! Its a do what you can fun run but your truly was excited to be the first female finished although it wasn't a race!

Bonfire Burn 10k- 6 Nov 2011

Hello Girls- Jenn, Natalie, Pia, Alison and Me

The Bonfire Burn 10k kicked off my 538 Miles for Help for Heroes. I did it with the lovely girls who I have gotten to know through Sweaty Betty's Running Club and now call my friends. I even got a personal best for a 10k at 46:21. It was a great way to get the challenge started and look forward to finishing my challenge at the next one.

Pity Party Over!

After reading my running buddy, Jenn's, blog called "Two Itchy Feet" (way better writing than you are going to find here), I was inspired to get back on track and look at what I have done not what I haven't. Truth be told I have been very active just not in the running department. I thought I would reminisce on the amazing events that I have been involved in.

Hopefully by the time I am done the rain will have cleared up and Dusty and I will have gotten back to our routine.

Also I found a solution to my problem of not getting out there. You see I am super organized, I have to do list and my Google calendar is synced with my Blackberry and email and everything else it can be but I haven't put appointments in my calendar for my running. So now I have and hope that this will get me back int the swing of things. I even have time to walk the Dusty in there too! We are working on our pulling on the lead which is going pretty good and hope that this training will seep into other areas such as not jumping up on people. He will be 2 in November and it will no longer be cute!

So here is to a new day!

Do I really want to run a marathon? Or am I over running?

Here is the thing, I did at one time. I trained up for it and got there on the day but there was 40 mile winds with 60 mile gusts and rain. The organizers cancelled the full marathon but allowed us to run the half. For a moment I was upset, I had spent all this time on the weekends and in the mornings to push myself to be able to get to the 26.2 mile finish line. Otherwise I never needed to run farther than 13.1 miles. It was nice training to get out there with Dusty running through the parks of Cambridge, coming across other runners I know. I remember running 10 miles in -7C and snow (I also think I was hypothermic by the end and vaguely remember calling Jon to pick us up even thought we were a mile away (8 minutes 40 seconds to get home.)

I am already signed up for a half marathon in Peterborough on the 14th of October. Some of my running buddies have managed to start their training where I have only ran once since the half marathon and just can't seem to get the ump I need to get out there. Luckily for me, it is light when I get up so I might have to go back to rolling out of the bed and out for a run as I can't seem to be trusted to wait until 6 a.m. rolls around and get myself out of the door.

I have been looking at another marathon in October but don't want to put in the time to train again and then end up not being able to do it. I love to run but not that much and spending 3 hours running is a bit more than I want to commit in a day.

This is not to say that I am not active. I am still doing my daily bike ride to work and my crazy long distance ones too. I am also still involved the long distance walks which I think I enjoy because its a good chance to catchup. I think running with other people is more difficult because its hard to get a pace that suits everyone.

I am still working on my 538 mile challenge for Help for Heroes and I am at my 331.1 mile mark.

I am hoping I will get over this slump and decide how important a marathon means to me because I am not getting any younger!