10 doing 10(ish) at 10(ish). My Southbank Bar Running Club story... so far!

For the last two-and-a-bit years I've been running (how has it been that long already?!) I've been very much a solo runner. Perhaps surprisingly considering how sociable I am in general, I've liked being an anti-social runner. Phone away, music on, pounding the pavements on my own.

That's not to say I've not got involved with the social side of running. I'm on several Facebook groups and a member of one of East Midlands' biggest running clubs, Notts Women Runners who I've had a couple of lovely runs with. But on the whole, when I ran I ran alone and that was how I liked it.

Until recently.

 My first run with the Southbank Bar Running Club was earlier in the year when the nights were still dark and the air cold. I went, I ran, I came home again. It's no secret that I hate running in bad weather and equally at that point I was generally running round like a headless chicken trying to fit far too much into each day so had no time to hang about for a drink with a bunch of strangers.

So now it's light, warm and I have time on my hands I decided to try it again. The first time I went back I was really in two minds but a kind lady from Notts Women Runners assured me she'd trot along with me for company so off I went. The club had a lovely atmosphere so with a few less nerves I went back a couple of weeks later 'by myself'.

It's strange really because I'm not a nervous person so I don't really know why walking through the doors of a pub (my natural habitat) to meet a bunch of fellow Lycra enthusiasts seemed like such a challenge.  But as I pulled pub a chair over and joined the pre-run chatter any doubts I had before melted away as I bravely declared I could probably drink six pints of wine (turns our my mouth was running as well as my legs!)

Anyway, without dragging it out and making it a boring blog post, several Wednesdays have passed by and I've had some brilliant runs with lots of new friends over a sunny Nottingham Embankment. And it's not just the runs that have been brilliant, the general ethos of the group has too. We run, we chat, we laugh, we drink.

So naturally, on the first free Sunday morning I've had in ages I headed down for a Sunday session with the 'Southbank Squad' this morning. I needed 10 miles to get my confidence in place for the rapidly approaching Robin Hood Half Marathon, and being able to run it with such a friendly, welcoming and inclusive bunch seemed perfect.

So 10 of us set off at just gone 10am to trot our way around 10 miles. Fairly early on in the run I fell nicely into pace with two ladies - Hannah and Erica - and we managed to encourage each other around the whole (slightly adapted due to a missed turn) route. Despite being one of my longest ever, it was one of the most enjoyable training runs I've ever had.. I didn't even turn my music on until the last mile and a half when I really needed a Calvin Harris based kick up the arse!

The three of us made our way back down the familiar banks of the Trent to our base with three huge smiles and were greeted a whole bunch more, congratulating us on our achievements. And the best thing about being based at Southbank Bar? I bloody enjoyed that pint at the end of the road!

I can't get to this point (I'm almost at the end) without a special mention the fella who kicked all this off back in February, Des Oldham! He's genuinely so friendly and encouraging, and his attitude really does radiate across the whole club. I think I can safely say everyone is proud to be a member and proud of each other every single Wednesday and Sunday... long my it continue!

So in summary, if you run (or even if you don't), get yourself down to your local running club. If you love it half as much as I do you'll be in for a treat!!

This week's Sunday cohort!

Women's Running Nottingham 10k... take 3!!

The Women's Running Race Series will always be a special for me as it was my first 10k two years ago and as a result its annual visit to Nottingham remains firmly in my race calendar.

Last year I had quite a bad experience, I went at it chasing a time that wasn't realistic so ended up shattered, achy and disappointed. Despite running a PB!

Since then, my attitude to running has changed a fair bit. I don't beat myself up (too much) after a 'bad run' for one thing and I see every race as an experience as I do a chance to chase a PB. If anything, my average speed is a bit slower than this time last year and I'm behind where I was at this point for building miles up in training for the half but, for the moment I'm quite relaxed about it all. Which is unusual for me as I normally like to worry about everything all the time.

So anyway, back to the race. As my alarm went off and I began to panic about my lack of clean running club shirt and sports bra it dawned on me that spending the day before sharing a bottle of wine, cocktails and three bottles of Prosecco with my best friend might not have been the most clever plan. Luckily (and by some small miracle) I wasn't hungover, but I had enough to flap about that I was bloody relieved by the time I made my way past the portaloos and into the familiar race village on the Nottingham Embankment. 

There's always a lovely atmosphere are the Women's Running races. I really love how there is such a diverse bunch of ladies all ready and raring to go by the time the starting horn sounds at 10am.

I'm pretty sure they were a new addition this year, but for the first couple of hundred metres after the starting line there were tiny cones everywhere ready to map out the path later on in the race. Add this to the normal initial crowds and it was a bit of a nervous trot by myself and my fellow runners not to trip over and end up with a tour de France (or alternative cycling race) style pile up. Because of this, as soon as I was past them my race pace brain came into force and I knew I needed to leg it for a bit to make up some time.

So I ended up doing the first few miles at a much faster pace than I normally aim for on long runs (9:30min/mile as opposed to 10:30, if you're interested) until my legs and feet started to really bloody hurt. I think this was in some part as a result of being on them all day the day before bopping around town rather than taking it easy as I should have done.

For some reason, I really struggled to bring my pacing down to what it needed to be if I was going to avoid completely doing myself in before the last few miles. So I decided the best thing to do would be have a little walk and start again.

A little walk turned into a series of little walks as my leg ache continued under the ever-increasing heat which was proving to be a hindrance. By the time I got to about 4 and a half miles in I gave myself a right talking to as I knew that the much reduced pace I'd taken on would lead to me being disappointed with my finishing time so I picked it up again and settled into a nice trot through the embankment taking in the views and the race day atmosphere.

The last bit was fairly uneventful, although I do want to point out the great comment I had from a fellow runner who said I had really good pacing and that she recognised me from other events. Ironic considering the ups and downs of this race so far!! Just the words of encouragement I needed as I entered the last mile and saw the faces (and huge banner) of my spectator fan club.

I really do love the last bit of every race, the bit where the "I got this!" feeling really kicks in. With great words support from the marshalls cheering us though those last couple of hundred metres I was ready for my finish line sprint through the cheering crowds!

I came in at a respectable time of 1:03:34 and was handed a fantastic medal, along with a lovely technical t-shirt and the best goody bag I receive each year.

So another one done and dusted! If I'm counting correctly that's 12 10km races now since my first one two years ago. At the time, I'm not sure I'd have believed it if someone told me everything I'd achieve in the last two years. And I've no plans of stopping yet!!!

Rach, Rach's banner and me!

Club photo of the lovely Notts Women Runners

A very smudged make-up finishing photo with a great sparkly medal

More finishing celebrations

June.. the fun run month

The last month has gone by in a complete flash! It started with a streak (as I spoke about in my last blog). I was really going strong until day 26 when unfortunately I had to abandon the running streak because of the necessary 14 hours at work or doing Uni work streak I had to pick up.

However, while I might not have completed that, I did complete three races very different to any I've done before, all of which had been on my running bucket list for a while.

Colour run
If you've not heard of a colour run this might sound like a strange concept... you run around while people throw powder paint at you. I did this one with my two friends Hayley and Sarah along with Hayley's six year old daughter, Faye. It was great fun doing a run with my friends and was a lovely atmosphere made all the more exciting with it being Faye's first race!

We soon laughed our way around the lap of Holmes Pierrepont reaching the finish line all colours of the rainbow and collected our medals all with huge smiles which got even wider at the sight of our friend with a cold bottle of Prosecco waiting for us (I've not mentioned that it was 25 degrees!)

So all in all a lovely race with a great family atmosphere. And any thing that involves colour, glitter and Prosecco is going to go down well with me!

Happy smiley run!!

Sunrise 5k
The clue is in the title with this one! 1,000 people trotting around the streets of Nottingham at 5.30 am. I'd been looking forward to this race for filling in the gap last year's Nottingham 10k left behind with the big market square finish.

The whole race didn't disappoint and was well worth the 4am alarm call! Maybe it was just the giddy mood I was in from finishing my CIM but there was a bit of an exciting air as everyone congregated on Long Row ready to get started. I think it really added something all having the same t-shirts on and I even considered shopping a couple of times en route to get some photos.

A couple of big hills in the route added in a good mix and before I knew it I was legging it down hill back into market square.. all by 6am!! A major good point of this one has got to be the medal, the photo doesn't do it justice but it's all purple and lovely and even spins!!

Obligatory medal shot!

Race For Life Pretty Muddy
Another one where the clue is in the title a bit! This time a woodland ramble with a variety of wet and muddy obstacles. All women this time and all to raise money for cancer research. I was part of a team for this one, 11 of us formed the "Fuddy Muckers" and I really liked the new dynamic being part of a big group at an event brought.

We head off onto the 5k course which started with some giant inflatable hurdles and several bits of tunnel and muddy/wet nets crawls with a few hundred women and again the atmosphere was good, despite the bit of chill in the air from numerous warm-up water pistols!

Despite not being the most adventurous person in the world I went under, I went over and I went through the obstacles, ending at the last big one, a huge inflatable slide before dashing over the finish line to collect the all important medal!

Once again, there was Prosecco at the finish line, something I could get used to!!

Before and after (yes I had Prosecco before too)

What next?!
So now the time for 'fun' is over! It's been great enjoying different races and taking part in some of them with lots of friends and family. But now into the 12 week countdown stage ahead of the half marathon so that's what I'm working to. I've already done the big units switch on my watch so I'm working in miles instead of km and my main long runs between now and then are all planned in.

Next Sunday it will be back to where it all began with the Women's Running 10km which I'll be taking part in for the third time this year and I can't wait! Then it's gradually increasing my distance with a few interval sessions thrown in for good measure and I should be good to go by 25th September! Watch this space!
 

30 in 30.. my June cancer research challenge

I'm on the charity trail again!

Ages ago, I signed up to Race For Life's pretty muddy 5k with a group of friends as a fun challenge to hopefully raise a bit of money in aid of cancer research. Last week, being the kind of person to never just do on thing at a time, I decided to tie in another running streak with my fundraising efforts.

Why? Well there's a couple of reasons. Some selfless and charitable, others not so much:
1) I'll start with the selfless and charitable one. Basically, I felt a bit of a crook asking people to sponsor me to do a 5k when I regularly do them already. To me, sponsoring someone is done because they're challenging themselves in some way.

2) I think this is a two-fold fairly valid reason. I've got my final Uni deadline coming up and I can't afford to let my training slip the way it did with the last deadline. Especially when I need to start building up my stamina and mileage for the proper half marathon training to start once I've handed my assignment in. Plus when I'm all wrapped up with Uni stress it will do me good to being committed to getting out for at least 20 minutes every day.

3) This is entirely vain but... when I did my running streak at Christmas it had definite advantages to my muscle definition and, well... it's legs out season!

So lying in bed the other night I decided it would be a great idea to do a streak and finish it off with Race for Life on 1st July.

I've set a couple of little rules for it because I'm slightly obsessed with structure so these are:

• Run or swim every day (I'm including swims because when I did my advent streak my legs were constantly sore so I'll be kind to them at least once a week
• Each run or swim must last for at least 20 minutes
• I don't have to run on the 10th June as I'm in London all day visiting my friend. But I do have to make that run up another day.

So far I'm on day four and I'm doing alright, yesterday I managed to head to the pool even with an almighty hangover which I'm pleased with myself for. Here's to the next 26 sessions!

If you've got this far down my post you must be somewhat entertained by it... therefore please support me by heading over to my donation page!

Nottingham 10k 2017

With the 2016 Nottingham 10k being firmly one of my favourite races ever, I signed up for the 2017 one months ago and immediately began looking forward to it.

Disappointingly, a little while after the event organisers sent out an update announcing the race wouldn't be returning to the city centre location which really made last year's race so special. After a torrent of negative social media posts, a further statement was released putting it down to Nottingham City Council rejecting all proposed routes and making it impossible. I'm still disappointed in NCC for that.

But with promises of excellent on-route support and a new start and finish at my beloved City Ground I decided to stick with it and still take part.

Race day crept up quickly as it always seems to do and I felt a bit unprepared as I've not managed as many long runs as I'd have liked but I was excited all the same and this was really fuelled by the race-day atmosphere as I milled around in the race village.

As we lined up on the start line, hundreds of us joining thousands of runners up and down the country wearing yellow ribbons in solidarity with Manchester and we all fell silent for a minute in memory of those who didn't make it home. I think that set a bit of a tone for the race really.

Setting off over the start line I was really wary of setting off too quick. I've done quite a few fast, short runs and needed to keep in mind that this was going to be my furthest run in a long while. The first couple of miles were fairly uneventful to be honest, there was good spectator support and a nice route. Heading up onto the Regatta lake at Holme Pierrepont I was a little apprehensive remembering the bloody awful wind from last time but luckily instead of awful headwind there was just quite a refreshing breeze.

As I got toward the 6km mark I was starting to struggle, my legs ached, my feet hurt and my breathing wasn't as nice and rhythmic as I'd have liked. I stopped for a bit of a walk to gather myself a bit. My endorphin fuelled mood start plummeting a bit when just as the right time two ladies from my running club came past and asked if I was ok. Using it to spur me on, I quickly fell into a nice rhythm with them and stayed with them until the last mile (at which point I hit a 5 mile PB, I'd like to add) but then for some reason as the metres ticked away I hit a wall again at about 9km.

I was finding it really hard, my legs were heavy and I had some weird pins and needles thing going on that I didn't like at all. After what had been a decent race so far I was bloody struggling.

Just under half a mile from the end of the race the crowds of spectators were thickening and one bloke on the side saw my yellow ribbon, must have noticed that I was struggling and shouted "come on get find the yellow in you!" and that was exactly what I needed to get me running again. My legs work, I had air in my lungs and I'm alive.

So running past the flags marking each of the last sets of 100 metres I thought of those affected by what happened in Manchester and used it to get me ever closer to the finish line. Then just when I thought I didn't have my usual sprint finish in my a familiar face in the crowd cheering me on gave me that last burst I needed, I bloody legged it over that line!!

Feeling quite emotional after the race, I hung around afterwards to cheer other racers over the line as spectators were invaluable to me. Clapped and cheered until the very last runner came back, all the while with a beaming smile on my face.

So all in all it was a great morning. Despite being displaced from the city centre and having a less interesting route than last year, I really enjoyed it. Well organised and great support from both other runners and the spectators, it shaped up for a good, if not slightly emotional morning.

Time came in at 1:02:34 which I'm really pleased with considering the walking and the lack of distance built into my training over the last few months. Let's see what the next race brings!

Back in training

It's been a while since my last post (again)... but you can't really write a running blog when you're not really running.

That's not to say I haven't ran - it's just been a 5km here and a couple of miles there whenever I get the chance here and there to keep the legs ticking over. But with the race season just around the corner and the definite decision that I'll do the half marathon again in September, I need to up the frequency and distance I'm running or instead of having a (hopefully) a summer of PBs and good race memories I'll have a summer of panicking about DNFs and giving up.

So doing what I do best and being over-organised with military style planning, I've just got the old week-to-view out and mapped out my training for the next two months, taking me through a couple of races and up until the end of the absolute madness which will be my final Uni hand in when I can start really focusing on running again.

For the next 8 weeks I know when I'll be running, when I'll be resting, when I'll be studying and, most importantly, when I'll be partying!

And with all that will no doubt come more blogging! Here we go then...

Clough Taylor (and a bit of Doris) 10k

So my last blog post turned out to be a bit of a fib. No running streak happened, in fact very little running has taken place at all since my last post. A fairly last-minute decision to move house, thrown in with a busy time at work and Uni and some rubbish weather added for good measure, all mean my lovely new trainers haven't seen many miles at all.

As a result of this, and heavily influenced by Storm Doris's rain, wind any everything else in between, I came the closest I've ever came to sacking off a planned race. I hadn't done nearly as much training as I wanted to, the course (two laps of Holme Pierrepont lake) wasn't very exciting and I don't 'do' cold and rain so by mid-week I was all but ready to cancel my 7am Sunday alarm and be done with it.

But I didn't. Spurred on with some encouraging words from the ladies in my running club and not being one for giving up, I thought better of it. And as the weekend ticked round and I began that familiar pre-race routine I even started to feel quite excited.

One of my favourite parts of any race is the buzz on the start line and the Cough Taylor 10k had a really friendly atmosphere as everyone huddled in the wind making small talk and getting ready to go.

I set off surprised at how strong I felt, my feet fell into a good rhythm quite quickly, it was a flat course and that great atmosphere from the start line was continuing through the first couple of miles. Lack of training at the back of my mind, I had this.

Then I changed direction at the top of the lake.

My God the wind! I honestly don't think I've ever ran in wind like it. It was like running through a horrible two-mile wind tunnel and it was bloody hard work. Everything ached, my ears were ringing, and eyes and nose streaming. I did not have this.

Things didn't get much better after I finally turned into the second lap of the course and away from the wind either. As if I didn't have enough to be dealing with, a flipping massive attack of stitch crept up on me, making to slow to a walk for about the 5th time in the race. It was at this point, as I awkwardly walked around holding onto my side that I even started thinking along the lines of "If I threw my myself onto the floor and hurt myself, I'd have to pull out of the race"... I think the only thing stopping me was the worry of ruining one of my favourite pairs of capris.

Persevering through I trotted into a run again and ended up falling into pace with a lady who was running beside me nicely in time for that evil second half of the lap again. Able to speak just enough to get a few words out, we both agreed that it seemed to be even worse this time, it was fully evil.

But we plodded on, offering a few words of encouragement here and there until we were into the last mile-ish when another woman came up and started with the "come on ladies we're nearly there" etc. And we were!!

Once again I started with the "I've got this, I'm doing it" thoughts, we were round the last corner and the end was in sight! I'd used absolutely everything I had in those bloody winds so there was no sprint finish this time but I finally crossed the line and I'd done it!!

Time-wise, it was my slowest race ever by a good couple of minutes. But I really did like it. I liked being with other runners and that excellent sense of community and the contrast it had to the friendly rivalry between those of us in red tops and those in blue. All in all, a decent morning and a good first race of 2017! 

I do bloody love medals

 

 

Two laps, not a bad pace overall really, and looks like they threw in an extra 230m!