I DID IT!!!!!!!!

Relief it's all over!

So it’s now well over a week since I took part in the 38th Virgin London Marathon. Relatives have finally departed and gone back home and the excitement of the day is fast becoming a distant memory. But before it finally vanishes and life goes back to normal, let me exploit it one more time in this, my very last Marathon Madness blog.

The lead up to Sunday 22nd April entailed continously watching weather reports hoping the heatwave that had suddenly descended on the country would go away as quickly as it had arrived. My biggest fear was to run on an unusually hot spring day. And what do I get, but the hottest London Marathon on record! It was going to be hard enough running this unknown distance but throw in high temperatures and it created a whole new challenge. Training had been in the cold, wet and snow. With a desperate attempt to climatise myself to the sudden heat a few days before, I actualy gave myself heatstroke - not a great start! 

Quick photo before I enter the runners area

So Sunday finally came round and I was super nervous. “What the hell am I doing” I kept asking myself.  “This is sheer madness”. And then I remembered.  “OK my little star, I’m going to need your help big time today, I’m doing this for you and all the other babies taken too soon”. 

Food was the last thing I actually felt like at 7am this particular Sunday morning, however I made sure breakfast was eaten, coffee was drunk and water was sipped. A quick shower, sun cream applied and I then dressed in my race clothes. 

Now the good thing about running this race was the fact I didn’t have to stay in a hotel the night before and could just walk the short distance to Greenwich Park. So off I set, together with my family, Mr P, my mum and Vinnie the dog to meet my fellow runners - all 40,000 of them.

Quick selfie in pen 3 before the start

A few photo’s were taken, hugs were given, good wishes and goodbyes were said and then I enter the runners only area. I deposited my kit bag on one of the huge lorries knowing that the only way I was going to get that back was to somehow make it to the Mall. Nerves were really getting the better of me and I knew I needed to join one of the many long queues for a quick pee. Whilst waiting I started chatting to other runners and I soon realised I was not alone feeling anxious regarding the heatwave. Surprisingly the loo queue didn’t take too long and before I knew it I was heading over to my warm up area. A few lunges, stretches and gentle jog were undertaken before I entered pen 3 to get ready to set off. 

Waving to Mr P and my mum at mile 7

There was a huge screen at the top of the park gates so we could see what the BBC was televising and waved and cheered enthusiastically when cameras hovered overhead. But when the Queen was shown on the screen and the national athem was played there was a respectful hush amongst all of the runners. Then at exactly 10am, the Queen pressed the button and the first set of runners were off. Now this year, as there were so many participants, the organisers were releasing the runners in ‘waves’. Zones 1 & 2 were realeased first. They would hold back the other runners for a few minutes before releasing the next section. This was to avoid unnecessary bottlenecks of runners. I was zone 3 and by 10:15am I was over the start line and charging towards Blackheath Standard. The sun had driven the crowds out in force and young children were holding out their hands so you could ‘high five’ them as you ran past. At mile one you always get the comedian “not long now”. Yeah, yeah, do you really think we haven’t heard that one before? Hilarious - not! By 10:30am the heat really had started to turn up but I felt good, ensuring I grabbed water at the water stations. By mile 3 we are in Woolwich Arsenal and the crowds just seemed to be getting bigger. There was a constat cheer and clapping as you sped past. Back into New Charlton before hitting East Greenwich and the run back towards and around the Cutty Sark. 

Now I knew I was going to have a lot of supporters around mile 7. Firstly, my running club, Greenwich Runners, who screamed and waved as I waved and cheered back at them. I was having the time of my life at this point. I felt like the most popular person on the planet. Then came the Parklife crew, great friends who I’ve met through walking Vinnie the dog in Greenwich Park; and then finally there was Mr P and my mum holding her banner up smiling proudly. I waved and carried on, really pleased that everyone had seen me.  I’m thinking, this is going OK. Pace nice and steady, just need to carry this on for another 19 miles! 

Tower Bridge!

Now I don’t want to boast here, but my name was constantly being shouted out by the crowds. The bright yellow really did stand out. I felt a bit sorry for other runners around me as all I could hear was my own name. In fact at one point a fellow runner said to me “All I can hear is your name, it feels like I’m running with a celebrity!”  “Yay, Team Tina” I shout and laugh back at him. Another runner then decided to belch really loudly and I started laughing again. “oh, really sorry about that, he says”. “No worries, better out than in” I say.

Heat really getting to me near Blackfriars

I can honestly say the first 11 miles were fantastic. I loved it. It was like a crazy carnival. And then, I just started to feel really hot. I was conscious that I needed to start taking on some more carbs for energy so got some running beans out of my running belt to quickly chew. But as I was chewing the sweetness of the beans just repulsed me. I spat them out - nearly hitting a spectator - oops “sorry” I yell. I then tried sipping some Lucozade which they handed out at mile 11 but again, the sweetness of the orange flavour just made me gag. OK, I’m just going to rely on my own energy drink and hope I have enough. I had over a litre of it in my new hydration belt but I was getting through it pretty fast.

I can see the finish!

So there I was, striding along but the heat had started to make me feel a bit uncomfortable. Turning the corner along Tooley Street and seeing Tower Bridge brought a huge smile to my face. I knew I was near the halfway mark where my Chairity Tommy’s would be supporting. OK, lets get to mile 13 and then take every mile as it comes. Tommy’s didn’t disappoint. They went absolutely bonkers when they saw one of their runners. I smiled and waved back at them and plodded on OK for another  mile. And then, really really annoyingly, it started to go pear shaped. The nausesous feeling completely overwhelmed me. Oh god, I thought, I’m not going to make it. I kept sipping water trying to overcome the feeling. Constant running was replaced with fast walk, run, walk, run, fast walk. The heat was beating down and to be perfectly honest, there is a huge section of the race that I don’t really remember. I was feeling so ill and delirious. I was passing runners who were dropping like flies to the pavement. My own energy drink supply was pratically depleted and just as I was thinkng I really need some more miraculously a bottle was thrust in front of me. I grabbed it, looked at it, thought that’s not orange Lucozade even though it was in a orange Lucozade bottle and greedily drank from it. Ooh, that’s nice. At the time, I did not realise that it was my beloved Mr P who had thrust the energy drink at me and it was one of my own concoctions that I had made up earlier that morning that I was drinking. In my bewildered heat confused state I had absolutely no idea Mr P was my saviour in handing me one of my energy drinks!!  Other relatives were there as well and I hate to think what they must have thought when they saw the state of me! 

And over the line.

I managed to get a bit of oomph back and ploughed on through to Canary Wharf. A friend mentioned that she was once again helping Buxton by handing out water to runners around the mile 19 marker. “I’ll look out for you” I said. Now to be totally honest I had forgotten about that by the time mile 19 was coming round. I just needed some water. But then there she was with a cup of water outstretched to me. “Deb” I say, “Tina” she says and then she gave me a much needed hug. “You are doing so well. How do you feel?” “Knackered” I say “it’s too bloody hot!” “Here” she says “have another cup of water” and with that I was off. The miles now seemed to get longer and longer. I kept looking at my watch and seeing the time I was aiming for totally slip past. If I speed up a bit I can still get in under 4:30. But I just couldn’t. Even with the constant cheering from the crowds. When I slowed down, they would chant my name “Tina, Tina, Tina” and really cheer if I started running fast again. It did bring a smile to my face. 

Celebrating with Mr P.

When I got to Embankment I knew it wasn’t far to go, but those last two miles really were the longest I’ve ever run. Turning that final corner and seeing the finish line was just the best feeling. I was determined not to walk the end bit and started running. "Come on" I cheered to a fellow runner who looked totally spent. And then, finally, I was over the finish line and relief totally engulfed me. “Congratulations, you have just run the hottest London Marathon on record” a marshall is telling me.  Great, no wonder I feel so crap! I get my medal, a photo is taken and then I collapse in a heap on the floor for a good 10 minutes thinking, did I really do that!

The weather made it extremely tough. But everytime I had a doubt I prayed a silent prayer to my little star and I was able to continue putting one foot infront of the other. This last year has been about breaking barriers and not being afraid to talk about what happened all those years ago. In the process I have raised a significant amount of money - £4,000 in total for Tommy’s for which I am truly proud. Probably more proud than running the actual race.  

I want to thank once again all my family and friends for all the support they have showed over the endless months of marathon training. But most of all, I want to thank Mr P. He has had to put up with the most. I couldn't have done it without you.

Will you do it again? I keep being asked. Today, 30th April, the ballot for the 39th London Marathon opened. Will I be entereing? I do feel I have unfinished business with the marathon distance. It no longer daunts me. I know I can do it. I want to be able to say I ran a good race, which I can’t say at the moment. The second half was not my best. So, maybe, not straight away and maybe not necessarily London, but I will definetly be attempting this distance again to get the time I really want and know I can do.

Watch this space. 😉 

Tina completed the 2018 Virgin London Marathon in 4:41:29 

ONE MONTH TO GO.....

status of my Virgin Money Giving page 
@ 22nd March 2018 

The clock is well and truly ticking with the 22nd April approaching at record speed - well that’s what it feels like from where I’m sitting. I still need to raise another £409.00 so if you haven’t had a chance to donate yet, then please do. Every penny counts. Come on, I’m proposing to run 26.2 miles on a dodgy knee! If there is one good thing you can do today, then donate a few pounds to Tommy’s, the charity I am running the London marathon for and help save babies lives. It will make you feel better😇. Click HERE to go to my fund raising page.

Now about that dodgy knee, let me give you a quick update. 

Good news for once people. I can run without pain. It’s a MIRACLE. Well not exactly, but running without pain really does feel like a miracle trust me. With determination and a lot of google surfing, I discovered Strength Runner Blogger Jason Fitzgerald. Within a few days of following his ITBS rehab program I was able to run, yes run, without pain and even downhill which has been a complete no no since the 7th January. ITBS is short for Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS) which I was finally diagnosed with following an MRI scan together with lateral collateral ligament damage to my right knee. Now only time will heal the ligament damage. Eight to nine months to be precise, but the ITBS is something I can address. It's one of the most common overuse injuries among runners. It occurs when the iliotibial band, the ligament that runs down the outside of the thigh from the hip to the shin, is tight or inflamed. The IT band attaches to the knee and helps stabilise and move the joint. When the IT band isn’t working properly, movement of the knee (and, therefore, running) becomes painful. IT band pain can be severe enough to completely sideline a runner for weeks, which is what, unfortunately, happened to me.

Mo wins the new Big Half Marathon

Oh why didn’t I discover you earlier Mr Fitzgerald. I begrudgingly pulled out of the Big Half Marathon on 4th March and now think if I had started my rehab program earlier I could’ve run this race. Oh well, live and learn. The only silver lining about not running the half marathon was seeing the mighty Mo Farah run past and win the race.

Jason Fitzgerald’s thesis for any running is to avoid injury. Makes sense when you think about it like that. If you think you can just pull on your trainers and go out for a run then think again. True, everyone can run, but can everyone run correctly? I think not. Years of bad form has caught up with me. Jason has had only one injury since 2009 and competes in many marathon’s so at last I've found someone who really knows what he is talking about. 

Jason Fitzgerald

So I’m now listening to Jason’s advice and not my consultants. He said “I advise you not to run the marathon, but please prove me wrong." And that Ladies and Gentlemen is exactly what I plan to do - can’t believe I actually paid for that so called advice! 

Even though I'm slightly behind with my training schedule I’m feeling fitter than ever following lengthy cardio and strength sessions at the gym. My gym even praised me the other day as one of the most frequent visitors during January and February! But I’m now running and because of my fitness can build up the miles pretty quickly. I’m back and feeling pretty confident that I can do this.

BRING ON THE MARATHON. I’m sort of ready for you!

HIT session on the beach whilst visiting 
my mum in Spain recently

Begrudgingly had to pull out of this race

Remember to visit my Virgin Money Giving Page to read my full story

Houston, we have a problem

The problem knee

If you read last month’s blog you will know training isn't exactly going to plan. Bashing my knee in one of those stupid home accidents, it is, I’m afraid to say, still causing major havoc to my training schedule. Serious doubts have started to enter my head especially when I’m struggling to walk let alone run. I won’t bore you with all the details but I’m having endless physio sessions, strength exercises have been increased and a visit to my GP has been booked to see if knee steroid injections can be administered as a last resort.

I’m not making any of this up by the way; trying to make the blog a bit more dramatic with the lead up to the Marathon. Trust me, this is the last thing I really need at the moment and feel completely stressed with the whole situation. I can’t explain the agonising pain that shoots through my right leg. It’s times like this I really wish the world of Harry Potter did exist and a magic wand could be waved over the offending knee to make it all better. But unless you have a wand or superpowers it looks like I’m going to have to rely on pain killers. My next official race before the Marathon is on Sunday 4th March. The new "Big Half" where you run some of the London Marathon route backwards towards Greenwich. The jury is still out as to whether I will be running this one. So watch this space. 

In the meantime, here is the second part to my interview with author Neil Bailey:

What are the most important lessons you've learned from your running coach?

I’ve learnt that correct posture is vital for running. Making sure you’re standing tall and looking ahead, not down at the floor. By standing tall you get more oxygen into your lungs making breathing easier so you can happily clock up more miles.

Which professional athletes do you most admire and why?

80s Legends - Ovett, Cram and Coe

Your probably expecting me to say someone like Mo Farah. An amazing athlete and currently a national treasure. But I want you to cast your minds back to the 80's with three amazing runners - Steve Ovett, Steve Cram and Sebastian Coe.These three seemed to be forever breaking each others records and won endless medals. To have one great middle-distance runner could be deemed fortunate, to have three circling the track made us the envy of the sporting world. They were celebrities in their own right, attracting millions to watch their latest race and to see who would win - Ovett or Coe or maybe newbie Cram? Who couldn’t admire those guys? 

My Games Maker days at the
Paralympics London 2012

I’ve also had the great pleasure of meeting Sebastian Coe on several occasions. The Bank I was working for sponsored a running event and the then Mr Coe came along to give out medals. I just thought, ooh, you’re quite diddy! He was a lot shorter than I was expecting. And then I had another chance to say hello, albeit briefly to the then Lord Coe at the Paralympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, London in 2012 whilst I was working as one of the Games Makers. 

From what you've posted on your website we can see that you consider diet a critical component of your training regime. As the big day approaches are you making any additional changes to your diet?  

I qualified in nutrition and weight management a few years ago. I've made plenty of unhealthy choices over the years but eating correctly is now a bit of a passion and I'm always researching new and healthy ways to eat. You’ve heard the expression, “You are what you eat”, well if you’re going to fuel on chips, chocolate and booze then I don’t think you’ll get very far in a long race. If you swap those for brown rice, raw cocoa and low sugar intake, i.e. no booze, together with lots of fresh vegetables, nuts, pulses and lean meat then you’re onto a winner.  I’ve ditched the alcohol. Unfortunately, there is nothing good in alcohol, it’s just unnecessary sugar intake. And yes, even G&T has been banned!

Do you 'carb-load' before running longer distances in training? 

When I trained for my first Half Marathon I increased in weight by 7lbs. I was eating way too many carbs all the time. It’s a myth that when you are training for an event that you can eat whatever because you think you will just burn it off. The only time you need to start increasing what you eat is when you are training over 90 minutes. So to make sure I don't increase in weight I keep my portions sizes the same. Generally I try and make sure most of my plate is vegetables so I'm getting plenty of complex carbs. If I know I will be training for more than 90 minutes than yes I'll increase my carb intake. However, sometimes I end up on a long run when I wasn't really planing to. It just sort of happened. On those occasions I've noticed I get very hungry after 15 miles and then re-fuel on sports drinks or sports jelly beans for a quick fix carb intake. You hear the expression “Hitting the Wall”. In general, hitting the wall refers to depleting your stored glycogen. Glycogen is carbohydrate that is stored in our muscles and liver for energy. When you run low on glycogen, even your brain wants to shut down which leads to the negative thinking that comes along with "hitting the wall". I definitely don't want that happening on the big day but to be honest I’m still working out what works best on the fuel front. I’ll be increasing my healthy carbs the week before the race and have worked out I will need to take on extra carbs every hour during the race itself, like a sports drink.

Have you found the training affecting your every day activities, e.g. sleep patterns? 

Sleep has actually improved since training. I was once a suffering insomniac but now I’m so tired by the end of the day I’m happily tucked up in bed by 9pm and usually sleep through. Social life on the other hand is now completely out the window. There have been a few events I've had to send apologies to recently, so once again, Sorry!

If you had to list your three main concerns for the big day, what would they be? 

• First concern is actually getting to the start line with this blasted injury. My pain threshold is pretty high but I do have limits and the thought of running 26.2 miles in agony is not very appealing.
• That being said, 98% of people who do start the marathon go on and complete it. I don't want to enter that 2% club and not finish which is concern number two.  
• My last concern is one no-one has control over being the weather. I just hope we do not have one of those out of the blue hot spring days. Really couldn't handle that. I suffered with dehydration during the Hackney Half Marathon which was at the beginning of May in 2016 and it was one of the worst running experiences of my life to-date. I do not want a repeat experience of that. 

Your running times in recent months have been very impressive. What is your target time for the big day?

Prior to the knee injury I was training for a sub 4 finish i.e. to complete the marathon under 4 hours. Post knee accident I just think it’s going to be a miracle to get round!

How do you plan to celebrate completing your first marathon?

To have an extremely large G&T followed by another one and then some champagne just for the hell of it.  

Have you given any thought to entering another marathon after the London one? Or maybe a Triathlon??

HELL NO. I need my life back. And I don’t think Mr P could handle me whinging about any more injuries!!!!

One of my strength exercises
squat hold with band

Remember to visit my Virgin Money Giving Page to read my full story

HELLO KNEBWORTH !!!

Start and finish line in front of Knebworth House

Open air concert at Knebworth

Sunday 19 November was a beautiful crisp sunny morning and I was participating in the very first Hertfordshire Half Marathon. Starting and finishing in front of the iconic Knebworth House which has featured in many films including The King’s Speech and Harry Potter, but probably more widely known for playing host to open air rock and pop concerts for the likes of Robbie Wiliams, Oasis, Led Zepelin and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. In fact it was at one of those open air concerts, to see the then very young Robbie Williams dangling upside down in front of a crowd of thousands and singing “Let Me Entertain You” and “Angels” - which took me to Knebworth for the very first time a mere 14 years ago! Probably under the influence of a few vino’s I couldn’t really remember the countryside, so when I signed up for this little jaunt I really didn’t know what I had let myself in for.

Training run on 7th November

Feeling slightly confident following my triumphant run at Royal Parks on 8th October and a mammoth 15 mile run up to the Olympic Park 2 weeks previous, I was perhaps a little cocksure of myself and thought this would be a doddle. 

The day before the race we went on a little recce drive to see how long it would take us to get to the grounds from our rented farm barn. Only a 20 minute drive - perfect. From there we went to Hitch Wood famous for its bluebells in the Spring so Vinnie the dog could have a lovely Saturday afternoon walk. It was around here that I suddenly noticed mile markers along the road. No lie, there was a very long stretch, nearly 2 miles all up hill and I just thought “oh no, I’ve got to run up that tomorrow”!

So back to Sunday morning. As already mentioned it was a stunningly bright autumn morning but extremely chilly with frost on the ground. At the last minute I decided to wear two long sleeve tops - big mistake. Off we all trot to the car for our short drive to the grounds. I wanted to get there around 8.30am to give myself plenty of time to warm up, stretch, last minute loo etc. All was going well until we were two roundabouts away from entering the Knebworth grounds, approx 2 miles and should have taken about 10 mins. The traffic was totally gridlocked. All this traffic couldn’t be for the race surely? We could see the A1 from our static position and the slip road joining us was also completely at a standstill. After 20 minutes of only shuffling a few feet I de-robbed my winter coat, said farewell to Mr P and Vinnie the dog and got out the car to join fellow runners walking along the busy road to get to our start line. So with a 2 mile warm up walk I had a nice little chat with a local who couldn’t believe the chaos this race was creating. The one benefit of a traffic jam was when I finally got to the race village the queue’s for the loo weren’t that bad - silver lining and all that!  At 9.25am I go to my start position and just after 9.30am the race was on.

The Route

The first couple of miles was within the grounds with a nice downhill incline to start. It is always nice when supporters cheer you on but when you have only literally started and someone shouts out “well done, keep going” you think, give us a chance it has just started.  Then there is always that one person who thinks they are really funny by saying “Nearly there” when you haven’t even ran a mile!

Waving at Vinnie and Mr P.!

After 2 miles we exit the grounds and hit the narrow Hertfordshire country lanes. Passing a fabulous looking pub and thinking we need to check that out later, I was struggling to find my stride. The pack had started to thin out slightly and my pace quickened but my legs just felt really heavy. OK, I thought to myself, this is going to take to a least mile 4 to get going. It’s cold and your body is not enjoying this. I was also struggling to keep my breathing under control and instead of breathing through my nose and out through my mouth, I was breathing in and out through my mouth making me extremely thirsty. Right, I thought, at mile 3.5 there is a water station, I’ll grab a bottle and then I can sort this breathing out correctly. I grabbed a bottle at the water station but the water was so cold I’m amazed it hadn’t turned to ice. Drinking ice cold water and running was just making me burp and hiccup and didn’t help the breathing. It made it worse. Despite this I held on to the water hoping it would start to warm up. Now I knew from our recce trip the previous day that from mile 4 the road gets a bit hilly. My legs still didn’t feel great and now I had the added discomfort of overheating as I stupidly put two tops on. I carried on, up and down those blasted hills but by mile 7 pulled over to take layer number 2 off. I just couldn’t handle it any more. Ditching the freezing cold water bottle I decided to swing some of my energy drink instead which I was hoping would finally get those legs going.  On I go, and the rolling hills just do not stop. Despite the hills, the views were stunning and I seriously thought about just stopping and taking some pictures to share with your all.  Miles and miles of rolling countryside with that undoubtedly fresh countryside smell - cow sh*t!  Mmmm, just breath that in, I don’t get that in London.

Running to the finish line

As I passed mile 10 I peeked at my watch. I had given up on watching what pace I was doing miles ago as downhill I was running super fast and then uphill super slow so trying to work out an average was far too complicated. But I was just curious to see how long I’d been on the road. When I ran Richmond Park back in June, which was a 10 mile race with numerous hills, I finished in 88 minutes and was pretty chuffed. So when I peered down at my watch and it said 80 minutes at mile 10, I thought, either the mile markers are all wrong or I’m going faster than I thought. Just after mile 11 we had a heavenly downhill stretch and I really went for it here, trying to gain back some valuable time I lost on all those up hills. By mile 12 we are back at Old Knebworth and I decided to put my second layer back on so finishing photo's will show my race number. Finally back in the grounds and then we have another blasted hill. The last incline before the finish line. I mean seriously, who wants to run uphill after running 12 sodding miles! So up I go and then just near the top I notice a familiar little dog in his cosy winter jumper together with Mr P.  I shout and wave at them and Vinnie whimpers and barks as I run past. And then I see the clock and realise I’m going to beat my Royal Parks time, so with one last push I run over the finishing line. My official chip time was 01:51:01, shaving 1 minute 54 seconds off my personal best time. 2069 people completed the Hertfordshire Half Marathon and I'm glad to say I completed within the top 10% of female runners.

And over the line

Despite achieving a good time, I didn’t  feel I ran particularly well. Whereas the last race everything seemed to come together,  on this occasion I just never felt I found my stride. Every mile was a bit of a struggle and I really had to keep my inner mantra going “I can do this, I can do this!”. And usually after a good run my endorphins kick in and make me extremely happy but on this occasion they obviously decided to pack their bags and go to sunny climes as they were nowhere to be found.  In fact, I felt pretty low.

The medal

So what have I learnt from this race.

• Don’t be over confident - having nerves is actually good for you.
• Don’t over compensate for cold weather - I get seriously hot whilst running.

But most importantly

• Don’t beat yourself up over a run that didn’t go to plan.

My legs felt heavy and I just couldn’t find that comfortable stride but I carried on and somehow, still beat my previous time. So endorphins, you go on your holiday because as I’m writing this, I’m saying to myself "Well Done"!

In front of Knebworth House with Vinnie the dog

Robbie Williams, Let Me Entertain You, Live at Knebworth 2003

Remember to visit my Virgin Money Giving Page to read my full story

Six months to go.......!

So I know I’ve been banging on about this forever already but the clock is well and truly ticking - six months to go until the London Marathon. Yikes!

October has been an extra special month with Baby Loss Awareness week but I just wanted to do another quick blog update to tell you about my amazing Half Marathon experience a few weeks ago. I didn’t intend on running the Royal Parks race this year so didn’t enter the ballot or request to run for a charity. Having run it last year - on a dodgy knee injury - I thought I would let this one pass me by. But whilst attending my Saturday running club, coach Ellie mentioned there was a spare place and would I be interested? Oooh, I thought, shall I put my money where my mouth is and actually run a half marathon instead of just saying to friends, “yeah, if I really had to I could run a half marathon tomorrow”. 

Hyde Park Race Festival

So that’s what happened. On Sunday 8th October, with less than 24 hours notice I was making my way to Hyde Park for the Royal Parks 10th Anniversary Half Marathon. My first half marathon this year. I’ve run a few of these races now and annoyingly I have never completed one sub 2 hours. I was running under someone else’s name (shhh I know your not supposed to do that) and Richard (that's who I was for the day) had stated a slower predicted finish time than I would've liked and was supposed to start in a slower start pen. Egged on by coach Ellie, who was running it as well, I didn’t go to my allocated start pen and just went in the faster one instead (shhh, I know I know, you’re not supposed to do that either, but I wont tell if you don’t). So not only was I running under the wrong name I also started in the wrong pen!  

16,000 runners in this 10th Year
Royal Parks Half Marathon

Now, as usual with these blogs, I mention there aren’t enough loos, and boy there really wasn’t enough. Half an hour queue to spend a penny and then another half an hour to drop our bags in. The race actually started whilst we were still at the bag drop and had to race over to our start pens (although the wrong one for me) to join the thousands of other racer’s - 16,000 in total. At 9.07am I finally cross the start line and we were off; and then disaster. I can feel my running belt is too loose. “Bo***cks” I rant, as I try to tighten the belt whilst running. Then the damn thing came off. So there I am, cursing and trying to run in a straight line whilst tightening the clasp and trying to put the blasted thing back on. My running belt was a key part of my kit for this race whereby I had two small bottles that fitted snuggly into the belt which I had filled with an energy drink to give me that extra boost as and when needed. Finally I get the belt securely in place and I could up the pace and get this race started for real. 

Running Belt finally in place

I do love the beginning of this race, running through Wellington Arch, past Buckingham Palace, St. James’s Park, down Whitehall past Downing Street, up and down The Strand, round Nelson’s Column before you hotfoot it back to Hyde Park for the next 7 miles. Despite having less than 24 hours notice I felt very strong and kept a pretty steady pace, weaving my way past fellow runners when they were too slow. By mile 8 I felt I needed that extra little boost so reached down to my running running belt and grabbed one of my energy bottles. Within a few minutes my legs felt recharged and I was happily striding through Hyde Park once again. The miles were steadily going past and despite the many runners I didn’t get tripped up this time. Royal Albert Hall was within site and I knew the end was near. At the 20K marker I decided to up my pace. Lets get this done. 800 meters and I’m still striding even faster. 400 meters, 200 meters. The crowds are cheering, the clock is counting down and I knew I was in with a chance to finally nail a half marathon under 2 hours. I upped my pace for the final leg and it felt like I actually flew over the finish line. It took me a while to stop as my legs wanted to carry on!  Wow, I thought, that was the best half marathon ever. My official, or should I say, “Richard’s” official chip time was 1:52:55.  I’d shaved a massive 13 minutes off my best time. Hopefully Richard was pleased with this time as well. 

And I'm over the finish line

First sub 2 hour half marathon

My next official race is the new Knebworth Half Marathon taking place on 19th November.  Can I do a repeat performance?  Oh, and this time I will be running as Tina and not Richard!

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