Market Drayton 10k & A PB!!!!!

I was looking forward to the Market Drayton 10k as it was voted the best 10k two years in a row so I was looking forward to seeing what all the fuss was about. The final info on the face book group stated there was a steep hill around 5.5 miles.. seriously who puts a hill in the last half mile of a race?!

The morning pretty much started lay in my sisters guest bedroom listening to the pouring down rain and wondering how on earth I had forgotten to pack my baseball cap and any form of jacket or coat which by now were 40 miles away at home. After worrying over this for an hour or so it was soon early enough to message my friend Rebecca who was also running to see if I could borrow a coat. With this sorted I ate my porridge and was out the door to pick Rebecca up and make the half hour journey to the race. I wanted to park at the school so we could collect our T shirts and put them back in the car without having to walk to and from a different car park. This was no problem with ample parking that was well sign posted. We had been discussing times on the journey with Rebecca being a faster runner than myself we decided we would start in the same pen around the 58 minute or sub hour pen then I would just do my best. My personal best up until that day was 1 hour 3 seconds and I so desperately wanted to shave 4 seconds off at least to get my first sub 1 hour 10k. 

After milling around and getting a drink of water we then ventured over to the starting pens which were literally some white signs in a field, the slowest pen was 55-60 minutes!? Surely that can't be right, there were a lot of charity and fun runners and from the conversations I overheard first timers so surely a pen of 1 hour plus or something would have been ideal. It was just a mass of bodies so we had no choice but to get in near the back. Suddenly we were off! Running across a large field though the room to run was so compact I couldn't actually run at the pace I would have liked. The first mile was difficult as people had already started walking.. these were people that had started way ahead of me in the pens. I was frustrated as at some points couldn't make my way around them and kept getting blocked in. I just wanted to run! At this point any thoughts of a pb had gone out the window.. the first mile was over 10 minutes and I knew for a 1 hour race I'd need to run 9.17 minute miles. By mile 3 I had lost Rebecca she had a stitch and had slowed down. I had found some room and made a break for it. I was running like a mad woman mile 3 was finished in 8.55 minutes.. I wasn't sure I could keep this up but the support from the locals was brilliant, I was still ducking and weaving around people and soon felt very competitive. By mile 4 I started to feel the same way I did in the Birmingham Half Marathon back in 2012 when I set my still current pb. I felt good yet knew I pushing hard, very hard, the course starting getting undulating now and mile 4 crept around in 9.04. I knew this big hill would be coming up and decided to run as fast as I could to make some time up in the bank so I could walk near the end if I had to. Mile 5 came around with a time of 8.48 minute miles! Excellent.. by this point I was well aware that I looked exactly the same way I described the front runners of Park run in a previous blog.. I reckon I had drool flopping around off my chin, I probably had a wild look in my eyes and my breathing by now was very laboured but I kept pushing running up every hill. 

It was at this point that mile 5.5 came along and I was faced with The Hill. It was steep and veered around a bend right in the middle of the shopping centre with big crowd support and a very loud drumming group. Something hit me and I panicked I had pushed too hard it felt, I was certain I was about to collapse , I really didn't want to walk but the hill was so steep and the drummers were so loud I think I had a mini panic attack. I stopped for around 10 seconds though it felt like a lifetime and gave myself a good talking to. I hadn't ran my arse off for 5.5 miles to fail in the last little bit so I did the only thing I could do... I ran!

It felt good to be running away from the drummers, Mile 6 was run in 9.12 minutes and I had a quick glance at my Garmin, I couldn't believe the time I was on for. As I approached the field that we started on I was told I was nearly at the finish though the same field I had run around 50 minutes before seemed to have doubled in size. I couldn't see the finish as I was looking out for an inflatable arch but it was simply a line to cross over. I had finished Market Drayton 10k in 56 minutes 45 seconds.  The way I felt when I eventually stopped running was a mixture of sheer joy for the time I had run and elation that I could actually stop and rest. Rebecca came in a few minutes behind me and we had both earned pbs that day. After being loaded up with our goody bags and medals I decided it's probably not worth me running another 10k as I don't think I'll ever get near that time again but I will certainly give it a bloody good go at Worcester 10k in June. 

Worcester Half Marathon 2014

Here we go again! On Sunday I ran the Worcester half marathon for the 3rd year in a row, a few people had stated I was mad to do it more than once as it's such a tough hilly course but with it being on the doorstep it feels rude not to give it a bash every year. I had originally entered the full marathon but after London made the decision to drop down to the half and it turned out to be a good decision.

In the few weeks leading up to Worcester half I had joined my local running club The Black Pear Joggers and had been out on a few runs with them already including the magic mile challenge where I pulled out a 1 mile personal best of 7 minutes 55 seconds.. not without suffering pins & needles from my finger tips to my shoulders through lack of oxygen circulating around my body! I had made friends with Margaret who had never ran a race and had never ran over 10 miles, with very little convincing she decided to enter the race with four days to spare and I was looking forward to running with someone rather than on my own as I used to.

The morning started with the usual half mile walk to the rugby ground where we met up with the rest of the Black Pears and had our team photo taken.

I had asked Margaret if she had a time in mind for her first race and we decided I would help pace her around to a 2 hour 20 - 2 hour 30 finish time. My course record was 2 hours 17 but I knew I would be pushing trying to beat this time as the weather was due to be hot and sunny. We also met up with Jane who was running her first half marathon and she had the same time in mind so we started together.

The first 3 miles flew by sticking to the pace or better that I knew would see us to a 2:20 finish of 11.23 minute miles. Margaret and I lost Jane around mile 4 when she stopped for water and soon the hills started flowing, I had never really thought about how hilly the course was until a few people mentioned it prior to setting off.  By mile 6 I was glad I had dropped down to the half course as it was lovely to be able to run with company. Margaret and I continued running along at a faster pace than needed taking in the country side views and just enjoying ourselves. We were often cheered along by supporters as a pair of pears as the locals recognized the club running tops. There was even a Black Pear water station which was fab and our own photographer who almost caught me walking up a hill!

 We stayed together the whole course and at mile 8 were now overtaking a lot of runners that had set off too fast and by now were walking. We decided to power walk the hills and through the water stations and this worked very well for us. At mile 12 we came out next to the canal for the final stretch back to the rugby ground and I told Margaret to run on her own, I wanted her to get her own time. She finished in 2 hours 20 minutes and 20 seconds so turns out I'm not that bad at being a pacer though I'm sure she would have finished quicker if she had ran without me. I finished at 2 hours 21 minutes which I wasn't pleased with at the time but looking back at it now I can say I am happy with that time for the day and the course. Will I do Worcester again? Ask me again January 2015!

Virgin London Marathon 2014

Just over two years ago I never knew members of the general public could enter races, I thought they were just for club and charity runners..then I entered the Blymhill 10k my first ever race. At this stage I had never even watched 'The London' as people call it, with little more than a fleeting glance at the tv screen.  3 days ago at the 18 mile mark in VLM 2014 I told myself I would never run further than half marathon distance again and would not enter the London Marathon Ballot and here I am now looking forward to Tuesday the 22nd April when the ballot opens to see if I will be lucky enough to be chosen to run again in 2015. From writing my bucket list blog a while back and putting "Run the London Marathon" I never actually thought it would happen.. but it did and here is my story.

I was running London for Birmingham Children's Hospital, they have been taking care of my friends Claire and Ian's baby girl Trinity and I decided even if I raise £100 it all helps, I was under no obligation to meet a fundraising target as I had gained my place via the ballot. Training had not gone as well as I would have liked with shinsplints / a possible stress fracture playing a part in my lack of long runs. The furthest I had ran in training was 16 miles and that was 4 weeks before the big day. The three weeks leading up to the 13th April consisted of 4-5 runs no more than 2 miles each. I am pleased to say my fundraising went better than the training and I have currently raised £928.20!

It all started on the Saturday morning when my sister Katie and her partner (my bro) Simon picked me up for the journey to London. We had a charity photo shoot in the street and on the doorstep - probably much to the dismay of my neighbours as we were rather noisy at 7.30am! 

We were soon on our way for our journey to the Excel Centre where I had to have my acceptance form and ID checked over by an official scrutineer. I would then be given my race number which would also have a smaller number on it relating to the corral I would start in based on my predicted finish time. I can't remember what I put when I entered the ballot last April but I knew on the day I was aiming for a 5 hour or at least a pb of less than 5 hours 20 minutes. The final 12 days before the race I hadn't attempted to run at all so had no idea what would happen when I crossed the starting line. After parking the car and getting on the underground we arrived at the Excel Centre and it all started to become very real! Upon entering the hall that the expo was taking part in the first sight I came upon were the large red signs above the desks relating to running numbers. It was at this point I started to feel nervous and emotional.

Collecting my number 9355

After signing my declaration in front of the scrutineer I then had to go through a barrier and have my timing chip given to me that was scanned according to the race number bar code I was just given. I had signed up for the Boost London app for Facebook that would link with this timing chip and update my status with my time every time I crossed a timing mat to keep my followers and supporters up to date with my progress.

good luck Che message

We then entered a large Adidas clothing hall full of all the running kit you could possibly imagine. No point spending the pennies there though I knew what I was spending my money on and it was at the MarathonFoto stand where I purchased a medal and photo plaque. A very emotional time came when we came across a large white wall and polystyrene letters spelling BOOST and people giving out pens for supporters to write good luck messages. The wall was rather full but Katie and Simon managed to squeeze messages in for me and then a message for Trinity from me.

good luck sarah morris love Bro (si)

 A quick scout around the expo and I had made a last minute buy of some energy gels without caffeine, the only ones I had back at the hotel had caffeine in and they don't agree with me so thought it wise to play it safe. I went to the Garmin stand to complain about my watch and then we made our way back out and back to the hotel. Back at the hotel I decided to get everything ready so got my waist pack packed with tissues, my picture of Trinity and gels. I then had the pleasure of attaching my race number to my Sarah top that my mom had made for me in the hope people would shout my name in encouragement and give me a lift.

 We then ventured out to get some food and enjoyed a meal of pizza before I settled down for the night hoping to get a good nights sleep. It was the best sleep I've ever had before a race, even when sleeping at home. I didn't feel nervous..in fact I didn't feel anything which was quite strange. Waking up at 6am on race morning was a different matter! We were all sharing one hotel room and whilst Katie and Simon were getting ready shots of the starting line etc were on BBC1 on the tv and I was trying to stomach my porridge. It wasn't happening I managed 3 mouthfuls and forced a banana down. I felt agitated and very nervous. The fact that it's London kind of masked the fact I would be running 26.2miles. I hadn't ran that distance since Jan 2013 and knew from mile 15 onwards I hate it.. like seriously hate it but was hoping this wouldn't happen this time. I still didn't know if I would be limping from the off and run walking the whole way. We were ready to leave the hotel at 7am. It was a glorious morning blue skies no clouds I knew the temperature would get up to around 17degrees and had put suncream on my arms and neck ready. After a journey on the underground I was then on the platform with hundreds of other runners waiting for a train to Black heath, the start for the blue runners. Katie and Simon literally had to squeeze me in a carriage and hope for the best as there was no room people were getting squished trying to stand right by the doors. I knew there would be two other trains along shortly but as Simon later told me these were just as cramped. I was on my train and now on my own for the next how ever many hours. We had arranged to go by my 5 hour predicted finish time and Katie and Simon would be waiting in the family meet and greet area at Horse Guard Parade at 3pm. The cramped and hot train journey soon came to an end at Black heath and we all swarmed off the train, there was an air of excitement, nervousness and anticipation around. I followed everyone else and soon came upon a large field with the floating colored balloons to direct you to your relevant starting area.

blue float

Leading up from this was the barrier for the Blue starters and was a runners only area, I was glad we made the decision for me to travel here alone as it would have been a difficult and pointless journey for the others. I had to flash my number to get through the blue barrier then I was free to take it all in. This is the part you see from the helicopter cameras on the tv.. the birds eye view of the masses and masses of people. From where I was standing it was simply a field, lots of portaloos, a Buxton stand giving out water, some stages and large tv screens where we could see what was being broadcast on BBC1. It was pretty much like being at a festival.

I made my way to the toilet as there was no queue, then found a spot to sit down and check Facebook, emails and my fundraising page. I arrived in the field at 8.20ish and knew I had a wait for the start of the race at 10am so tried to stay as relaxed as possible. The time flew by as I was watching the big screens and music was playing the atmosphere was quite calm considering. Some people were sleeping on the grass others were doing some mad stretches and others just sat quiet like me in their own little world probably contemplating what the next 5 hours or so would bring. I didn't have the extra hassle of taking my kit bag to a designated lorry to be transported to the finish line as I had simply left my supplies or 'marathon survival pack' as I called it with Simon. At 9.15am I joined a now large queue for the toilet and saw on the big screen that runners should start making their way to the starting corals by 9.30am. I made the long walk to coral 9.. right at the back. I was fine with that but got in the front of coral 9 about 5 or 6 rows back. Here I started nervously chatting to other runners, there was a mixed bag, a man who was 78 who would qualify for another race if he came in at 5 hours. A few that were aiming for 4.30 hours and charity first time runners hoping for a finish. I still had a pb in my mind but the day was hotting up already and I knew I would adjust my plan accordingly. I had been told by previous runners that it can take up to 40 minutes to cross the starting line but just after 10am as I stood on my tiptoes I heard alot of cheering and saw jumpers and coats being tossed in the air. The runners in Corals 7 and 8 were on the move and stripping themselves of the warm overlayer that would be left behind and given to charity. I discarded my black long sleeve top and prepared for the jog, walk, halt, jog, walk, halt that led us to the starting line and I was off crossing the starting line at 10.14am!

This was the first year they had stands on the side of the starting line and people were clapping and cheering. It's funny looking back as I didn't think once at this point 'This is it I'm running the London Marathon'. The plan was to stick to 11.23 minute miles to get me to a 5 hour finish time but the excitement and flow of people around me led me to running the first 4 miles less than 11 minute miles! Though the excellent news was my leg / injury seemed to have totally cleared up giving me no pain at all. At mile 3 I felt I could go to the toilet and saw a sign reading Toilets ahead 200mtrs there were 4 toilets and no queue but I made what turned out to be a disastrous decision to skip these toilets and stop at the next ones if I still needed the toilet. Of course I would still need the toilet and probably more desperately that I did at that point! Around mile 3 the blue start and red starters merge together now following the same course and when this happened there were roars of Boooooo's from all the runners red and blue! This of course was just abit of fun but I did feel like I had settled in to my group and didn't really want anything to change. Just around mile 4 - 5 I did need the toilet and knew I couldn't keep going and saw the sign for toilets again 200mtrs ahead... Crikey the queue for the toilets were snaking their way through the stream of runners! I joined the back of what seemed the shortest line and had no choice but to stand and wait, and watch the time ticking by on my watch, and wait and wait, Mile 5 according to my garmin was a 20:41 minute mile! I took advantage of standing still and started my music up on my phone and also had my first energy gel. It was ok I told myself just keep going keep moving forwards try to gain some ground back you could still get a pb. Just as I rejoined the mass of runners still yanking my trousers up would you believe who overtook me? The Runners World pacer with the flag on his back of 4:58! Yesssssss I wooped woooped silently to myself how good was that timing to come out the toilet to find him!? Well actually there were 4 of them running at 4:58 target time and there were runners literally glued to their sides. I knew they may have started before or after me so there would be a difference from when we crossed the starting line but I figured if I stuck with these pacers with their magic flags sticking out their backs they would lead me home with a pb or even my desired finish time.  The thought kept crossing my mind how amazing would it be to have a marathon time beginning with a 4!! I had my music playing for all of twenty minutes or so, I had it low enough that I could still hear the crowd and sometimes the live bands and music being played out on the streets but I found it an annoyance more than anything and soon turned it back off. I stuck with the pacers and just around the 6 mile marker came along side the Cutty Sark and what a sight it was, beautiful I found myself just staring up at it as I ran around it, the crowds here were thunderous in their cheering.

I was moving from side to side along the road slapping peoples hands, high fiving children desperate for runners to touch them, beaming up at their parents when a runner would venture over and give them a clap! It was around this point I was offered some jelly babies and took one but within a few minutes of swallowing it I found myself bringing bile up into my mouth, not nice at all and this was the start of my downfall. Every couple of minutes this bile would rise up and I was fighting to keep it down.. was it the jelly baby or was it the energy gel, I decided it was jelly baby which was strange as all my training had been done with gels and jelly babies. The heat was rising now and there was no doubt in my mind it would be in the twenty's on the temperature scale. I kept with the pacers until mile 10 then started flagging down to 11:46 minute miles. I was being careful with my hydration as I didn't want to drink too much as this can be dangerous but I was wary of not drinking enough with the time coming up to midday I knew I'd be running still until at least 3pm through the hottest times, there were water stations every mile so I made the effort to take a bottle from each station take 3-4 sips then discard the bottle and collect another one at the next mile and so on, that way I would keep drinking small amounts but regular rather than carrying a bottle and glugging it constantly. By mile 12 I was seriously hurting as I hadn't ran more than 2 miles at a time the month leading up to the event my legs and glutes were screaming at me to walk, and walk I very nearly did until I remembered Tower Bridge is just before half way! All the BBC1 cameras are at that point with runners being interviewed! I don't think I could live it down walking over Tower Bridge. As I came up to the bridge the noise was deafening, this was another amazing moment but still the thought had never entered my head that I was running the London Marathon or that Mo Farah and Kipsang had ran across this same bit of road only an hour or so before me! I was pleased that I had ran the whole first half of the course

after not knowing if I could even run a mile let alone 13 miles I was pleased with my efforts so far but slightly disappointed I couldn't maintain the 11.23 min miles I needed for a 5 hour finish. It was mile 14 when I did the thing I really didn't want to do the most and that was walk! I just stopped running and walked... it felt bad yet so good and this was the start of the 12 and 13 minute miles. My half marathon time was 2 hours 40 mins around 10 -12 minutes over the time I wanted and needed for the full marathon race time and I knew the second half would be done alot slower than the first so I made the decision to walk when it felt bad and run when it felt good. There were people run/walking from the starting line so I was not alone when plodding along. Around this point I got overtook by a Minion. I had a quick glance around for a camera man and was pleased this moment in my life hadn't been caught on camera! At mile 16 I stopped and took my picture of Trinity out my pocket to look at and remember why I was doing this... did I at any point feel like I wanted to drop out.. honestly, yes I did I was hot, hurting and tired the crowd were that overwhelming that I half wished there would be a stretch where there was no support, as crazy as that sounds I realised I had a splitting headache maybe from the sun maybe from the constant cheering, screaming, banging, clapping and music and air horns right by your ear. This was to continue non stop for nearly 6 hours. The only way I can describe it at my lowest point was having to run on a treadmill for 6 hours in a greenhouse in 22degree heat with a boom box right by your ear. By this time the Runners World pacer of run/walk had overtaken me, he was followed by Big Bird from Sesame Street, an old man dressed like Superman and the man carrying a 42kilo fridge on his back! I decided to call my sister, they had a guide that would tell them were I would be for a 5 hour marathon pace and what time I should finish, I didn't want them to worry when I wasn't where I should be at a certain time so called to explain I was falling behind target and had readjusted my finish time to 5 hours 20/30 minutes. I was soon back on track and run walking, a lot of people by this time were walking. I remember reading in books and hearing from people that you see Big Ben before you actually get to run around by him and this can mislead you into thinking you are further along the course than you actually are. I didn't remember getting a glance of him which started off the doubts and calculations in my head. From Mile 18 onwards I knew my Garmin was out of sync with the course as I crossed the 18 mile banner with my watch reading out 18.65 miles, a bit frustrating that I was over half a mile out. I was walking a lot at this point from the vague memories I have from mile 18 as most of it is a blur I probably walked 2 miles non stop and was now glugging water back at water stations and holding onto the bottles a lot longer than before. The miles seemed to merge together and this may not be in the right order but I passed a lady giving out oranges and missed them, bringing back memories of Torremolinos I so desperately wanted a bloody orange! But not to worry a bit further down the road a lady was giving out bananas, I grabbed half of one and stopped and thanked her. London is amazing as people you don't know stand there and hand out food and tell you how great you are doing. The Banana gave me a boost then a lady gave me a star burst. I was a bit wary of it at first as was still struggling with the sickness feeling from the jelly baby. I had thrown away my gels as they were also not helping with the bile. I ate my star burst, it was a taste sensation! I phoned Simon and told him very specifically I had 6 miles to go and I need him to listen to me very carefully... he was to bring to the finish line a packet of star burst, failing that a Big Mac. I couldn't help but laugh to myself that the only thing on my mind at this point was food, actual food. I wonder what Mo Fara was thinking of at mile 20? Safe in the knowledge that bro wouldn't let me down I carried on with my walking and the odd bit of running. The crowd were fantastic and people were catching my eye and screaming "Come on Sarah you can do this. You are brilliant. You look amazing. Keep running" Wow these people don't have a clue who I am, they will never see me ever again but in those few seconds all that was on their mind was helping me to the finish line. Around mile 25 and again I'm being vague as it's a blur, I started talking a lady who was doing her first marathon. She said she wouldn't do another one. At  this point I asked the question "Have you seen Big Ben yet? I'm sure we should have seen it by now" I don't think she knew much about what was to be expected on the course so just gave me a strange look then as we round a corner there he was towering above me. Epic. I knew then I was near the finish I also knew my time was not
I had hoped for at all I was well over 5 hours 40 minutes now. But I was nearly done, Buckingham Palace was in sight I could see the statue out the front, all I had to do was turn right and I was there! I could see the signs saying 385 yards to go, I was overwhelmed at this point, this was the only time in the whole 5 hours and 53 minutes it took me to run the London Marathon that I actually realised what I had just done. I crossed the finish line and had my medal hung around my neck, I broke down crying I was shaking and moved to the side against a fence where a marshall found me and asked if I was ok. I replied through tears I couldn't believe I had done it and when he asked me why I was crying I pulled my picture of Trinity out of my pocket and said " Because I ran for this little girl" He then helped me to keep moving where I then called my sister to tell her I had finished and would be with them very soon, though the words wouldn't come out through the tears and Katie couldn't understand what I was saying.  I then had my finisher photo taken with tears in my eyes Trinitys picture and my medal in each hand.

Trinity and my medal

Me and Katie at the finish

The walk to the family meet and greet area was amusing as everyone was walking like John Wayne! I soon found Katie and Simon and low and behold Simon had got me a packet of Star burst! Yummy. That was it, I had ran the London Marathon, to this day it still doesn't seem real, I stayed up until 1am Sunday after being driven home by Simon who I must say a big thank you to for doing all the driving and looking after me and Katie whilst away. I watched the coverage on tv and was hoping I would have been filmed! And at 107 minutes I somehow found the strength to leap up of the sofa and run up to the tv screen to see myself running in with the crowd I estimate around 1-2 miles in.  I said to myself at mile 17 onwards and even back at home that night watching it back that I don't think I will enter a marathon again even London but the following morning when the proffesional photos were released of me running with Buckingham Palace in the background and I held me medal around my neck I realised of course I will enter it again and fingers and toes crossed I get to run again in 2015!  Finally a few thank yous, thank you to Claire, Ian, Kendra and Trinity for your support and all the staff at Links Lockers who have sponsored me, thank you to all my family, my mom, dad, sister, nan, aunts and uncles who have supported and sponsored me. Thanks to my bro Simon for sponsoring me and getting me there and back without you I may not have even made it to London! And thank you to each and everyone who sponsored me and helped me raise over £900 for Birmingham Children's Hospital.

Two weeks until London!

Wow how fast has this come around? It's only two weeks until London! I can't believe it as it only seems like yesterday that the "You're In" magazine landed on my door mat. Training has not got to plan at all but do any plans ever go the way they are supposed to... my answer is no.


With my leg support on for shin splints and having only ran about 10 miles in the last 3 weeks I am going to start the first of two races planned for tomorrow of the Hot Runner 7 in 7. I will start the first race and hopefully finish it if it is pain free or I will drop out. The second race is no longer on the cards at the moment.


Exciting news for London when the final info magazine arrived, I'm starting in the blue pen behind the elites and athletic championship runners so I can 100% say I ran the same race as Mo Farah (if he doesn't pass out or drop out half way around)


The ball is really rolling now with my fundraising so far reaching a massive £517 not bad considering I only set a target of £100, it's all thanks to the wonderful people who have sponsored me so far and the staff at Links Lockers in Telford who have donated a massive £265. I have been invited to attend Birmingham Children's Hospital on Friday 4th April to see where the money I have raised will go and how it will help and to get some support and info on the race itself from previous charity runners and organizers.


Thank you to everyone that have sponsored me so far, if you would like to sponsor me please either follow this link or use the Donate button at the top of my blog.   https://www.justgiving.com/sarah-morris30/

Getting back to my roots

A lot has happened in the last few weeks.. starting with me leaving the online running group I've been part of for the last two years Run for Fun. My decision to leave the group and no longer have the support from members of the group came about after a difference of opinion shall we say between myself and a few members of the group about a race I have entered that is only two weeks before the London Marathon. The race I have entered is the Hot Runner 7 in 7 where you can enter as many of the marathons / half marathons (two per day for 7 days) as you like. I will be running two half marathons in one day one at 9am and the second starting at 3pm. I have my own reasons for doing this as part of my training plan and am looking forward to this weekends long run of 18 miles being the last really long one I will do on my own.  Since leaving the group I have found it difficult getting my head around continuing to run, I am out there on my own and felt a bit lost at times.

With all of this coming about it's made me think long and hard about my running and I've realised that I have found marathon training a chore, not fun, I have found it an effort to do the long runs on the weekend and found the regimental training plans have taken the fun out running. I was focusing so much on the time I would complete London in I felt I had lost my way with the whole reason why I love running.  I started reading a book last night called the London Marathon and one part really stood out to me, a man who had ran numerous marathons before, many in very fast times found that everyone paid attention as soon as he got a place in the London marathon the fact that he ran it slower than any other marathon before didn't matter as no one focused on the time but on the fact that he had ran in the event. The only person focused on the time was himself. London is the peoples marathon.

I am going to take London as a fun run, if I get a good time brilliant if I don't well at least I've spent more time enjoying the experience. I have dropped down from the full Worcester marathon to the Half marathon and after a 10k race I have in the middle of May I won't be following any training plan for a few months. I am looking forward to being able to wake up and make a decision if it will be a day I run or not run and if I do then how far and not feel like I've failed somehow if I miss a day or don't run the required distance.

The only other races I will be doing this year are half marathons and local 10k's the kind you get at village halls with bakes sales after, I want to get back to my roots of where it all started with races like the Blymhill 10k.  Don't get me wrong I am over the moon to be running London and being privileged enough get a place but feel I have been focusing on more and more specialised races and going in the wrong direction, whether that be from trying to keep up with others in the group and feeling like this is the way I should be progressing or just not taking a step back and looking at what I am doing. I have plans to join the Black Pear Joggers properly as I will be free to run when I like if I am not putting such a strict training plan or expectations on myself.  I will enter the London Marathon every year and this will be the only time I will run over half marathon distance again.

I will mention the word Grim and I will say one thing about it... I am absolutely positive I am not meant to run this race, 1st year DNF, second year DNS and third year it's going to be another DNS, I feel if I ran this race something bad would happen, something is making it clear that me and this race are not meant to meet again.

So now I have an 18 mile long slow run to look forward to this weekend and then it's all up from there with London 7 weeks away I am back to looking forward to it.

Torremolinos Half Marathon

Ok..where to start. To start with it seems very odd typing Torremolinos Half Marathon into the title box of this blog, mainly because it's all happened so fast from booking it back in July to feeling as though it never really happened at all... leaving me today feeling rather low.

So back in July I booked my flight to Malaga airport and booked the race and hotel as a package through a company called Running Crazy. I was all set to go on my own into the big wide world mainly to prove to myself I can do anything on my own. With unexpected stress of my car breaking down the day before flying I wasn't feeling too confident. My sister came to the rescue and I had the keys to Molly Moo her little green KA and a note to say I am allowed to drive it in case I got pulled over for stealing it! Friday afternoon my sister and her partner Simon came to drop the car off for me and visit and they bought me a lovely card which read "If you can believe it you can achieve it" When I saw them off again at 7.30pm crying saying I didn't want to go I didn't think I could do it. I realised I needed to man up as I did believe I could do it. I knew no one that was going to the race, no familiar face to meet me on the other side just me and my hand luggage. At 2am my alarm went off! Oh my god! This is it... I decided to deal with it all like the Friends episode where Chandler and Monica get married... just take it one step at a time.

First step get to the Airparks in birmingham, I'm pleased to say Molly Moo didn't let me down. I got there in good time at around 4am I parked Molly in bay 2 then handed my key over telling the woman I was parked in Bay 1... fantastic start! I got that sorted and got chatting to some guys in the bus that were going snowboarding but they had been to Malaga airport before and were helping me out with how to find the airport train station. As we got to the airport I was in phase 2 of my plan.. within a few minutes I had found my check in desk, got through passport check and security, I was highly disappointed when my abs of steel didn't set the detector off I think it must have been faulty. Before I knew it I was at my gate boarding the plane.. I got the front row window seat with loads of leg room excellent and what made it even better the lady sat next to me runs half marathons, she had ran Wolverhampton last year so we chatted about running a bit. I landed in Malaga at 11.05am made my way off the plane and starting looking around for signs for the train station.. this was harder to find than I imagined it would be but low and behold I made it and there was Malcolm the organizer of Running Crazy awaiting my arrival at the ticket machines. He had already bought my train ticket and we met three other runners in the group and away we went 4 stops on the train later and I'm at the hotel. Amazing I had done it all on my own I had left the country there was no stopping me now. After checking in the hotel I decided to go out for a venture around and see what was what. I didn't go too far from the hotel being a lone female with the crappiest sense of direction it seemed wise to stick close to the hotel until I made friends. This didn't take long.

my first international race number!

At 7pm the race briefing was taking place in the hotel lobby. This is when I met the Judges my adoptive family. Emily and her son Louis had come over to support her husband Gary who was running. He ran fast times locally and quite often made into the papers. I couldn't help but wonder how fast he actually ran and you will also find out a bit later on. I also met Patrick who had made friends with Emily and Gary the previous evening.The race briefing consisted of us collecting our race numbers, a goody bag, and having a course description. It was described as undulating with two main hills, a 5.5 mile flat stretch running alongside the beach and start and finish 2 minute walk away from the hotel. The cut off times I had previously been worrying about were brought up too.. the main cut off time to worry about was the 10k cut off at 1 hour 10 minutes. At 1 hour 10 minutes the motorway which they had closed would be reopened and you would be pulled off course and put in the back of the dreaded sweeper truck... basically we had to run our arses off before the motorway reopened and we couldn't get across!

After the race briefing we went to dinner and got to know each other a little better, I retired to bed around 9pm in the hope of getting a decent nights sleep so I could smash this race the way I wanted to. I was awoken three or four times in the night with gale force winds blowing the table and chairs on my balcony around. Fantastic I come away and the weathers worse than the UK. By 7am it was still terribly windy. I realised I hadn't bought a clip to pin my fringe back (I knew I'd forget something) I got up around 8.30am as I still had an hour until I had to be in reception to meet the rest of the group to go to the start. That didn't leave me alot of time made worse by the fact all the lights tripped out when I turned the bathroom light on! I was in total darkness but I'm pleased to say I found the fuse box and sorted it, much better option than running down to reception in my pants! At 9.30am we had photos taken by Malcolm and he was also going to be taking photos and videos of us in action around the course for our Running Crazy dvd. Patrick and I set off with a little jog to start line it was like no other race I've done before! People were everywhere literally eveywhere, the spanish were dominating everything. Many of them were running in Tri suits which I found strange. I was aware from the strict time limits that this race is not a fun run not to be taken lightly, it is a race for club runners and elites. I know you're now wondering why I was there right?

Vanessa, Patrick and me at the start

Either way I was doing it, I had opted to put my baseball cap on to stop my fringe from blowing around but I didn't need to worry as at 10am when the race started the wind had gone completely and it was already 13 degrees. This was going to be fun. Patrick and I made our way to the start line although we were very near the front.. too near for my liking.

the starting line

Patrick runs halfs in around 1 hour 40 minutes so I tried to push my way back to the end of the tunnel. There were no starting pens based on times etc I was surrounded by spanish men who all looked pumped up ready to go and fast! What really surprised me was the ratio of men to women in spanish racing. I don't want to ruin the result for you but out of nearly 2000 runners I finished  182nd female. There were only around 30 other female runners behind me in the results.  I was in a very tight pack there was no room to move, the tannoy was booming out spanish none of which I understood. Then I saw a pacer! I have never had an actual official pacer in a race before I always follow the men in the tutus remember. I was going for a pb of 2 hours 8 minutes or less so kept my eye out for the 2 hour pacer, they were runners with backpacks on with a bright yellow balloon floating high in the sky above them with the estimated finish time on them in black marker. All of a sudden there was a loud bang and Rhianna and Calvin Harris we found love boomed through the speakers and it all went quiet apart from the music and a solitary yellow balloon sailed free into the sky.. this moment was epic and bought a tear to my eye.

I was off I was running the Torremolinos half marathon! Straight away the pace was fast I knew I wanted to run 9.40 minute miles to get my pb so had no issues keeping up, the main issue was the male racers. I'm not being racist or even sexist with what follows but the spanish men are awful to run with truly awful, they literally push and shove to make their way past then when along side you they don't even look to the sides or behind them they literally just across in front of you. I was worried I was going to get tripped up but held my own for the first mile coming in at 9 minutes 16 seconds well above pace. There was also alot of spitting and I mean proper hawking it up bringing up vile flem in the back of your throat spitting and again not looking if anyone was to the side or behind you that may be the unfortunate victim of the flem and the breeze, Yuk. Mile two came around at 9 minute 10 seconds  pace still getting quicker and running well although I had pain in both my shins but the week leading up to the race I hadn't really ran so thought I was just warming up. Miles 3 & 4 were at 9.40 and 9.30 pace so sticking well to my target but now I was faced with the first of the hills and it was a hill. My 5 mile pace was 10.40 as I has to walk up some of the hill. It was really hot by this point as well and my shins were still giving my grief but I was trying to ignore them.  I had also not bought a drink with my instead opting to utilise the drink stations, I made this decision based on wanting to run fast and not have the water in my camel bak sloshing around and I didn't bring my water bottle over with me. Just after mile 5 the 2 hour pacer runner ran past me literally ran past me super fast with his yellow balloon bobbing around above him. No way was he running a 2 hour half I had maintained an excellent pace until mile 5 and he was flying. "Ok Sarah let him go you won't catch him, just keep ahead of the 2.15 pacer" I said to myself though I was pretty miffed off at this point. Mile 5 will always be remembered as my first really low point, the hills just kept coming, the 2 hour balloon was mocking me and this course wasn't undulating it was simply hilly. Mile 6 came and I knew I'd be heading out onto the flat along the beach and I was also nearly half way through. I ran mile 6 at 9.29 pace which reflects well with my mood at that point as I had cheered up a little. I had made it past the 10k cut off with a time of 1 hour 4 seconds. No sweeper bus for marathon morris no thank you. The beach was stunning I could see the sea for miles with the mountains in the background simply beautiful. The spanish were very upbeat here clapping and cheering although I have no idea what they were saying. I still would have welcomed an english speaking person to come along just to say something, anything that I could understand as I began to feel quite alienated and alone which bought another low point and mile 7 was 10.43. This is also around the time my hamstring decided he wanted to join in the fun and a wave of sheer agony spread from just below my butt cheek down to my knee it was a radiating pain I can only describe like when you have a really big shiver that makes it's way down your body. This is not happening! Running past a pharmacia the temperature on the sign outside read 20 degrees I was struggling with the heat now there was no shade, there was a silly old elderly lady on a mobility scooter trundling along on the runners side of the pathway with her back to us so she was weaving from side to side trying to dodge us all running up along behind her trying to get around. She was also spanish but I reckon even I know they were swear words she was shouting at us all. By mile 8 and 9 which came in at 10.22 and 10.58 my hopes of a pb were lost and I knew it was silly to push on at anything less than 10 minute miles as I kept going dizzy. Then I saw Malcolm at the side of the road he asked me how I was doing and I told him I was struggling alot he ran alongside me filming me telling me I was doing great and to stick with the pack I had found myself with. It was so nice to just speak to someone and have a friendly face in the crowd. Just before mile 10 I was tootling along thinking how nice it would be to get to the next water station and have a drink and that the 2.15 pacer was still somewhere behind me and I'd be pleased with a 2.15 half marathon when something bopped me lightly on the head, I looked up and Nooooooooooo it was the 2.15 pacers yellow balloon he had overtaken me and was now running away. I must have looked like a mad woman chasing a man with a backpack and yellow balloon bobbing around with my arms outstretched. I couldn't believe it.. all my fast running and pb's leading up to this and here I am chasing yellow balloons like my life depended on it. I was in Torremolinos, the sun was shining, the beach was stunning I was just going to finish. Mile 10 came in at 11.21 I was fighting a lost cause and now was no longer fighting I was walking. All the way through the course there were oranges cut in half being given out at the water stations but because I was in the back of the field there were never any left by the time I got the station, instead I was being tormented by the empty peel on the floor left by the faster, club and elite runners. Mile 11 came in at 11.21 another slow one and I knew from the course briefing mile 12 to the finish was a big hill, I had actually walked part of this hill the day before. Suddenly an english runner spoke to me, it bought me back to reality she was also with Running Crazy she was part of the Chippingham Harriers, she spoke to me for a while gave me a pep talk then we came across the last water station and I was handed an orange. It was heaven it was the best orange I have ever tasted in my whole life. I was like a starving person being presented with a big mac meal but this was half a dried out orange it was wonderful like nectar going down my throat.  By mile 12 I was walking with a time of 13.27 minute mile it was nearly over I just had 1 more mile to go and mile 13 was ran in 12.58, as I rounded the final corner Malcolm and the lady from Chippingham Harriers were stood to the side cheering me on telling me to sprint and sprint I did, well it was faster than 13.27 minute miles anyway, I came through the finish line with a time of 2 hours 19 minutes and 53 seconds. I then had to get my number scanned and received a print out with my results.   Finished position 1674 / 1738. 182nd female and 66th in senior category.

my finishers tshirt

I was hot I was tired my hamstring still thought we were having a party and he was invited but I had done it, my first race abroad. I met up with a group of the Chippingham Harriers and then went back to the hotel where I proceeded to throw up a few times and had to sleep in my dark hotel room, the heat had really gotten to me and I possibly hadn't taken on enough fluids throughout the race. By 7pm though I was ready to party and met up with Emily, Louis, Patrick and Gary. It turns out I had pretty much been sharing my meals in the hotel with an elite athlete! Gary Judges finished in 1 hour 18 minutes and he got tripped up at the start, that's a whole hour quicker than me! That's only 18 minutes slower than Mo Farah runs half marathons, he had picked up 1st international male runner prize which was a trophy and money. The winner was spanish and finished in the same time Mo Farah runs half marathons of 1 hour that should give you an idea of what I was running against. This certainly was no fun run but I had so much fun doing it. The perfect end to the perfect race and weekend was the Running Crazy party held in an irish bar that we completely took over. The drinks were flowing as we as a team had won third prize of 100 euros for everyone of our runners finishing in the team category. My favourite running song Pitbull and Kesha came on and we were dancing and chatting away before sitting down for a rather excitable and rowdy dvd of us all in action. I am hoping to get the link to the video when it's available and put it on here for you all to see me Running Crazy in Torremolinos.

3 personal bests in 1 week!

This week has been entered into the marathonmorris book of records...

So I'm off the injury bench.. I took a total of 5 days off running ( I know I said I wouldn't run for 2 weeks but we are talking about me here) anyway where was I... 5 days off running then started again doing the usual 10.30 minute miles nothing out the ordinary. Then on Tuesday night I did some research into the Torremolinos half marathon and discovered not only do they have a rather tight cut off finish time of 2 hours 30 minutes there are individual cut off points along the route like this..... Maximum Timings will be shown at set points. Competitors will be permitted to continue up to a maximum of time of: km.5: 35´,km.10: 1 Hr 10´, km.15: 1h 45’ km.20: 2h 20’ Finish. 2h 30’. Failure to make these limits will result in the participant’s being disqualified. Fanbloodytastic I thought I'm really close to the 10k cut off with a pb of 1 hour 3 minutes on a good day.. Run for Fun friends rallied around and told me I can do it, I just need to focus on the times maybe it's more motivation for me to get a pb.

Well they must have been right as Wednesday evening I set a new 5k pb of 27 minutes 35 seconds! Split times of 9.24 / 9.14 and my last mile with a sprint finish of 8.35!!! Wowsers. Excellent but I'll sometimes get a 'fast flukey day'. Thursday came along and I decided to see if I could run 4 miles at around 9.40 min mile pace which will see me through to a pb for a half marathon.... with split times of 8.55 /8.40 / 8.47 and final mile again a sprint finish of 8.37 min miles I had set ANOTHER 5k pb of 26 minutes 55 seconds and was running a little too comfortably at 8 minute mile pace??


What the feck is going on?!? 

Friday was a rest day although I didn't feel as though I needed a rest, if anything I wanted to keep running as I was worried this fast streak may not last... Saturday it was thundering so I decided to run on the treadmill... right lets really see what's what Morris! I set the heating up to 18 degrees to acclimatise myself to running in the heat with laptop on, a box set at the ready I set out to run 8 miles. I set the treadmill up at a constant pace of 9.04 minute miles..could I really maintain this for 8 miles? with the heating on?   Well the answer is yes and I even adjusted the incline between 1 & 2% percent throughout to mimic outdoor running and sped up at some points running at 7mph.

I ran 8 miles in 1 hour 12 minutes .... just to put that into context my average 10k (6.1 miles) is 1 hour 10 minutes, I ran a whole extra 2 miles over that. With this run in the bag I had got yet another pb my 10k pb went from 1 hour 3 minutes to 54 minutes 59 seconds. I seem to be peaking at just the right time and I'm over the moon though im trying to fathom out what's going on?

I've come up with a few ideas 1/ I've been doing core work every day since the 2nd Jan. 2/ I keep telling myself when I'm running 8 - 9 minute miles that I'm actually running slow, almost tricking my mind. 3/ I've just simply been lazy the last two years and not really pushed myself but I actually don't feel like im pushing myself running this speed. 

Tonight's run should really have been a recovery run after yesterdays fast 8 miles and the week in general just being ridiculous speed wise but off I went and couldn't run slow, I did 3 miles with splits of 9.01 /  9.03  and sprint finish again of 8.40...... I think I've come up with idea number 4.. maybe my garmin has broke!!!

Either way if I can keep this up I'm going to bloody win the Torremolinos half marathon and possibly get a podium finish and make it into the Spanish papers.

Sarah Marafun wins Torremolinos Half Marathon

Megs Miles and The Ghost Runner

So after 5 days of rest, well resting my leg and no running at least I decided to have a go at a little running yesterday. Two reasons.. one my physio said he is again happy for me to continue doing some running as he isn't a fan of total rest, that makes two of us and two because I wanted to dedicate yesterdays miles to Meg. Meg is a lady who was out for her morning run when she was hit by a drunk driver, she lost her life leaving her family including three children behind. Megs Miles is all about runners uniting and dedicating a mile run in her memory and to raise awareness of drink driving.

Throughout the week I had been keeping myself sane doing lots of core work up to 45 minutes per night of various routines including planks, crunches and sit ups with a good 10-15 minutes of weights for my arms thrown in for good measure. I had also ordered some KT tape which I had previously used back in 2012 for a short while but never really bothered with it until now. My pink tape arrived and I am now a pro at self taping my hamstring and front of my thigh. Having worn this since Friday morning yesterday I woke up with no pain in my leg at all so decided to try a 3 mile run. I should have been taking it steady but went out at 10 minute miles and mile two was 9.33 minutes. Pain in my leg was prominent straight away then it gradually moved down to just above my knee then after 1 mile it disappeared completely... exactly what it always does. The real test is the following few hours and next morning when I can't walk properly.

I'm pleased to say even after two showers and that run my KT has stayed in place for three days now and I woke up this morning pain free and able to walk properly which was a good sign. I'm going to run again today I thought to myself... noooooooo you may scream!

Yes I am running and yes I have ran! In fact what spurred me on more was finishing my current running book The Ghost Runner a book about a man called John Tarrant who in the 1960's was banned from amateur running as he was honest enough to declare that he had won £17 previously from amateur boxing even though he was never on the books and spent more than £17 on the bus fares to the fights he was in. He was banned from ever running for a club or in races in the UK or abroad for the rest of his life... all this man wanted was a number, he was never allowed so arrived at races disguised in coat and hat then leapt out at the last minute at the start often being chased down by race officials but he quite often won and held a number of world records when his ban in the UK was lifted. What inspired me about this man was all he wanted was a number something we probably take for granted now, I have a scrapbook full of numbers from previous races. He also made me think about running today as between 1969 and 1971 he ran up to 150 miles per week! and took part in many 100 mile ultra marathons and 24 hour endurance events with stomach cancer.. although he didn't know it at the time. In his final race he did know he had cancer as only a few months before he had his stomach removed and a replacement made from part of his bowel...

I'm sorry but if that guy can run an ultra marathon with stomach cancer or no stomach at all I'm sure I can manage with my gammy hammy!

So I did, I've just ran 4 miles at my half marathon target pace, yes my leg hurt most of the way around but i'm not going to dwell on it as I'm walking properly now and it's rest day tomorrow.

Today I am just grateful I can run as I still have my life and I'm allowed a number.

Injury, Frustration and worry

The only thing I can really say in this blog is that I will not be running... for at least two weeks.. maybe for three.

After Sundays long run of 12 miles I awoke yesterday with a very bad pain in my hamstring and now also the front of my right thigh to the extent I am limping. Not good news in fact it's utter crap! Just how I feel right now.

With Torremolinos around the corner I have had to make the difficult desicion to not run until possibly two days before the race to 'test' my leg out but certainly no proper running until race day where I must sign a disclaimer to say I'm fit to run. Easy you say, you've got the miles in your legs you've ran over 12 half marathons before whats the problem.. the problem is me worrying about the tight time limit of the race which I'd be close to on a good day let alone after three weeks off and with the possibility of still having an injury. I know I could have three weeks off, run my hardest in Torremolinos get a good time, finish then be out of action for a further three weeks or longer.. this i'm willing to take though i'm also frustrated that I will be missing at least three weeks out of my marathon training but I will run a marathon from sheer determination and stubborness alone the fitness just makes the whole experience more fun.

My life from now on will consist of wearing a leg support which seemed to ease the limping last night, foam rollering every day no matter how painful and doing numerous stretches to try to resolve the problem that is ruining my running life! Still it will give me a chance to focus on weight sessions for the upper body and core work so I'll have that 6 pack bikini body I wanted after all.

I will also be replacing my long sunday runs with a short bike ride to keep my fitness up and swimming to help my breathing. The whole thing is just a big worry.

End Of Week 3 Marathon Training

So it's the end of week 3 marathon training and my heads all over the place..

Week 1 I ran 32.53 miles,this total mileage should have been lower if it wasn't for the Sunrise to Sunset race.
Week 2 I ran 24.42 miles every run was done as it should be on the day it should have been with the exception of one run.
Week 3 ...went out the window I ran 23.74 miles which is the total I had to run but due to seeing friends and family and actually having a social life outside of running I had to shift runs around to different days which has thrown my body out of sync on the running front.

Last week I made the mistake of moving my long run of 11 miles from Sunday to Saturday; again to accommodate a social life ( having a social life and marathon training is rather hard unless all your friends and family are runners or you want to go to bed at midnight every night) , on the Sunday I only managed to run 1 mile of the intended 4 due to my hamstring yet again becoming a prominent problem in my running! I wasn't going to do this again as I know for sure that I will never ever skip a long run as this is the base I need for the marathons and ultras entered. The piddly 4 mile interval sessions I can go without but the long runs no way hosey!  With yesterdays tough interval session of 10 mins threshold pace with a 2 minute recovery repeated 3 times my mind had taken over today and I told myself I was too tired to run, my hamstring was tight and I began to feel rather low about my running. Was it wise to continue with my hamstring bad? It clearly hasn't cleared up properly since November when I was having physio and there is no way I am pulling out of London i'll limp to the end if I have to. There was also no chance of me taking months off to resolve the problem so after a quick moaning minnie post on run for fun I had a virtual running buddy Chris who would also be running 12 miles today. It's always better to think there is someone else out there running the same as you and tie up together online when you get back.  I'd got all my gear ready, part of the long runs is also trying out refueling during running. I had my camel bak with some electrolyte drink in it.. cherry I think. I had my new Shadow Pak a very slim waist pack that sits flat against your stomach without bouncing. This I filled with jelly babies BOGOF in tesco..nice!

The run was pretty much robotic same as last weeks long run, when you are running on your own for over two hours with nothing but cars zooming past and a dull grey sky all around it's hard not to switch off and just get the job done. I intended to do the Blackpole, Fernhill heath loop which would be 7 miles then the Tolladine and dreaded Ronkswood hill loop which I estimated to be around 5 miles, perfect. All was going well at marathon pace of 11 min to 11.27 min miles I was running bang on if not a little faster at times my hamstring after 4 miles either wasn't hurting anymore or I just chose to be stubborn and blatantly ignore it. It was cold, it was wet and it was boring, at mile 8 I dropped my only tissue in a puddle...bugger... oh well. I whizzed down Tolladine trying to make up some time as I knew I would slow down for the Ronkswood hill which was covered in dog shite and even some sick on the pavement... you gotta love the rough parts of Worcester. By mile 10.5 I was mulling over my pace as although i'm aiming for a 5 hour marathon in London (or I have Worcester as a backup plan pb) and trying to train myself to run slower to maintain a constant pace there was a little niggle going on in the back of my head.... Here's the deal..

what the inside of my head looked like!

Torremolinos is just over 2 weeks away, it is a half marathon with the first 6 miles flat then the final 7 miles a steady ongoing climb with a very very strict cut off time of two and half hours for road closures. They are more strict over there than here apparently. Two hours and 30 minutes... I should be thinking not a problem. My very first half marathon time was 2 hours 31! since then (missing out the beast and sunrise to sunset) I have always finished around the 2 hours 15 mark so why am I now worrying that I wont make the cut off for Torremolinos. The final mile of todays run was all about numbers.. now I'm rubbish at maths at the best of times with a calculator sat in front of me so why I decided that mile 11 of a 12 mile run was the best time to start working out split times based on todays run which was slower than I will be running in a half marathon anyway I do not know!! There were numbers floating around my head until I made it back to the front door exhausted both physically from the running and mentally from the sudden onset of panic that i'm going to fly all the way to Spain just to get a DNF! Either way the flights booked the hotels paid for and the race is entered so I will do what I do best... keep running!

Dirt Run new years day 10k

What better way to start the new year off and go towards my yearly target of 1000 miles than a little 10k? Only problem is this is a race I have done before back in July in 25 degree heat and I hated it, infact it was my most hated race ever just pipping Coombe Abbey Park half marathon. Why did I decide to run it again you may ask? Well I wanted to race new years day this was only 5 miles away and I suppose I wanted to lay the demons to rest as I intend to with another race this year.

I was very good last night I was in bed for 10pm and had no problems falling asleep then I was awoken at 12.01 am with the fireworks going off for new year so I sat up in bed opened the curtains watched for a few minutes then plonked back down into my pit. The best thing about a new years day race is the very sociable starting time of 11am, I woke at 8am and was now feeling nervous, this race was always going to be about fun and not actually a race as such just a training run (which I was down for 4.5 miles today on my training plan). Getting ready I realised I was pretty in purple, I had my purple thermal top on, I dug out my purple RFF vest, my socks have always been purple then I realised it was peeing it down! I mean literally the worst rain you could imagine and it was windy. So out came my..you guessed it.. yes purple waterproof jacket. I decided to wear my buff over my ears then slip my baseball cap on top to keep the rain off my face and keeping my ears warm. The only other problem was the jacket has no pockets and neither did my capris - yes I didn't make the same mistake of wearing the knickerless norah fall down nike tights!

I eventually got myself sorted with my Y fumble arm pocket, in that went my waterproof phone cover and in that would be my car key. I was not carrying anything else around with me except two tissues it was simply too wet. All the way there I decided if this wasn't the first race of the year I would have stayed home in the warm, I must be mad! Pulling up at 10.30am I made my way to the registration tent to get my number. Unlike the last time I was there everyone was huddling inside a make shift circus tent type thing that sounded like it was going blow over any minute, there was one desk with two people behind and what looked to be 8 separate lines all merging in a circle in the middle... organized chaos sprang to mind. I eventually got my number, number 100 I quite liked having that number though I have no idea why. The junior race had started at 10.30 supposedly then the senior race at 11am.. by 11am the juniors still hadn't appeared near the finish line, the tent was still almost blowing away, it was cramped, wet, cold and miserable and it was doing my head in. I couldn't wait to get going just to have some space and quiet! At 11.15 am we were told to make our way to the start..all I could think about was the nightmare that was the woods when I last did this course the bit with the vertical climbs that you had to pull yourself up with ropes.  Just take it slow Sarah you are not racing you are simply doing.

We were off slipping and sliding everywhere, instantly I found my pacer I decided to stick with her to save me doing something stupid like breaking my leg. I'd managed to move my buff down the back of my neck which was brilliant as it kept the rain and cold out and I was rather snug the only problem the wind was posing was us all trying to stay upright as we were being blown sideways towards the lake at one point. The mud at first didn't bother me it wasn't that hard to run through just cold and wet my trainers soon filled up with the brown water but once it was done it was done I wasn't going to get any wetter than I was at that point as I was already soaked from head to toe... I was now fully in for the ride. I started talking to a lady called Rebecca who had not done the course before, I ended up chatting to a few people who hadn't done the course before and I felt like I couldn't lie to them when they asked if it was hilly.. I'd like to think I helped them by telling them about the woods as after all it was too late they had already started. As I got to the dreaded ropey woods I felt happy and confident, after all I knew what was to come and knew I just had to get on with it. This time I thoroughly enjoyed myself, I did slow right down as did everyone else as you simply couldn't run through the mud I think I added a quarter of a mile onto my garmin just by slipping sideways constantly rather than moving forwards. I'm not going to lie the woods were no easier this time around in fact they were physically harder the rope cut into my hand more as it was wet but mentally I had it covered. I was elated to get back out onto the fields again though.With a stile to tackle I was soon at the drinks station at 2.5 miles going well.

Although I wasn't racing (yeah right of course I was!) I did check my previous course time from July which was 6.25 miles in 1 hour 13 minutes so you basically know from that admission alone I was racing otherwise why would I care about time? Throughout the run I never looked at my time I just always looked at the distance. Miles 3 - 5 were not much to talk about I had taken over my pacer and was off on my own, there was more mud, more rain, rain coming down that hard a drop hit my lip and I half expected to taste blood. We ran past a really stinky field, it smelt like rotten meat eurgh it was vile the only good thing about that part was the field was full of christmas trees I presume growing for next year. I then noticed the course had changed, sneaky sneaky so now I no longer had my back up plan of knowing what was coming next. Suddenly at mile 5.5 I was faced with having to climb over a rather large fence, I don't do climbing. This took me a while to get over as it was high and slippy but I made a friend at this point though I didn't get her name she does triathlons so we were chatting away about that. She left me at 6 miles as were had again gone of the course I knew and was back in some muddy woods, I spent a lot of time tree hugging in this part and cut my hand when I made a bee line for what I thought was a tree branch that was in fact a massive thistle, still at least I was still on my feet and not on my bum!

Taking a quick look at my watch I knew I wasn't going to beat my previous time of 1 hour 13 but that's because they had changed the route, I finished the Dirt Run 10k ( 6.1 miles) at 6.40 miles with a time of 1 hour 22 minutes. Wahhoooo I had finished, god I was cold, god I was wet but it was well worth it just to say I bloody well did it in such awful conditions and I actually enjoyed Dirt Run!