Fitness & Pregnancy -- 38 Weeks in Review

Preggo Pro: You can wear trainers every day
Preggo Con: Swollen Ankles

So this blog post is not really to talk about my pregnancy journey per se. I ran for as long as I was comfortable with, and have moved to elliptical, swimming, and yoga. Am I happy about it? Not really but I know it's temporary and I am still trying to stay active and that's what counts. This is more of some of the things I have heard whilst being pregnant and my experiences in dealing with them. I am not a trained medical professional, not have I ever pretended to be, so take this at face value. Do your own research.

Running is not good when you are pregnant
Poppycock. You run for as long as you are comfortable running. You need to listen to your body and take the cues a bit more seriously now that you are preggo. What does that mean? Well it really depends on you. Every woman is different, and every pregnancy is different. There are women out there still running at 30+ weeks. That is amazing. I think I stopped at 31 weeks. I have come to grips with that.

What caused me to stop? It felt like my shins kept seizing up and nothing was working. I tried to change shoes (your gait changes because big surprise you are gaining weight), wear compression socks, stretch more... nothing. Finally I realised I was dreading going for a run. That's when I knew to stop.

I also bought a pregnancy support belt which helped keep me going for as long as I did. In fact I still wear it on the elliptical and spin bike. This is what I bought. I love it. Plenty of other options out there. 

You should keep your heart rate down when you are pregnant

May as well have fun with it!

I agree you should not keep elevated heart rate levels for long when pregnant, but I definitely think a bit of panting and sweating is a good thing. It's actually probably better to go by feel than actual heart rate. Someone at some point said nothing over 140 when pregnant. This has been debunked. I have taken stairs and my heart rate has gone above that. You go for your exertion. If you are on the spin bike and you want to do a sprint for 20 seconds, by all means go for it. Doing a 5k and want to kick at the end-- sure! Just again, listen to your body. You start to feel weird cramping-- just ease off. Feel too out of breath? Dial it back. And hydrate hydrate hydrate. Keep the braxton hicks at bay for as long as possible.

Twisting and Lying on Your Back is Bad
Twisting I agree with, you dont want to constrict babies space in an already constricted area. It's fine when they are the size of a sweet pea, but not when they are the size of a watermelon. Also whoever came up with the fruit comparisons is a terrible person. I hate them. Sorry. However you can still do open twists, so don't worry there.

The whole back thing is interesting because its not actually about the baby, it's about you. The weight of the baby puts pressure on a major blood vessel, and it reduces your blood circulation efficiency. So at that point, yes it does affect your baby. Yes everything is about the bloody baby now. Sorry that's the way it is. So doing some exercises on your back is OK, but honestly you will know when its too long. I have done bodypump classes where I would put the step on an angle when doing the back exercises. I have woken up on my back-- my body told me it was uncomfortable so I woke up. We are pretty intelligent beings (even on autopilot) so don't freak out too much.

Some Other Things I Noticed
Not all instructors are trained to deal with pregnant women. Nor would I expect them all to be. I would always pull the instructor aside and let them know how far along I am. Sometimes that was met with hesitation, other times a hearty congratulations. It's important to assure them that you will take breaks if you need, drink water when you feel you need to etc. Also dont be afraid to modify. A spin instructor may be telling people to go into aero, but if you got a large enough bump you may not feel comfortable in that position. Don't be afraid to not go into that position! If you told the instructor before hand he/she will know and be less worried about you. You do you. Don't worry what others think.

Also unrelated to fitness-- yes you can have caffeine. 200mg or about 2 cups of coffee. If you go slightly over it's not the end of the world. That 'no caffeine' myth need to be completely busted. I think it gets tricky if you also drink tea and/or pop(soda). Then yes, you may need to start switching to decaf at some point during the day. Don't you dare get between me and my flat white though. Nosiree.

No no.. not SWOL.. SWADDLING

JP Morgan Run: The American Brexit (4th of July) Edition

"Well this is unexpected..."

This is my thought as it started to rain on my bike ride to Battersea Park. Don't get me wrong, I welcomed it mostly. I don't remember the last time London saw rain. It's been scorchio for weeks now... yes I am talking about London, England. My biggest concern was more me wearing a white t-shirt and getting drenched.

All my coworkers were wearing the same, so I supposed we would all be awkwardly British together.

The JPMorgan run had ~30,000 runners this year over two days. That only 5,000 less people than the entirety of West Somerset. So, needless to say, it was crowded. In remembering my loo-mageddon from last year as soon as I dropped my bag off  I headed towards the port-a-loos. Oh of course I choose the line with the loos that are not flushing, so I have to move to a different queue. Classic. This entire time we are being chided by the organizers to get to our starting pens and THE RACE IS STARTING IN TEN MINUTES. No one moved, so neither did I.

I started the trek to my pen, the white pen. More lines, more waiting... I felt like we were being led out of the park. Then we stopped finally and waited for 6:45pm-- we heard the shot of the starting gun and we all started to get ready for our turn to go....

We went at 7:15. 7:15. I could have had a luxurious sit on the loo instead of a fast and furious scramble. I understand they said they were staggering start times this year, but a whole 30 minutes?! People were ending by the time I was starting!

However, starting to make my way around the course I can see why they staggered the start times how they did. It was chock FULL of people. All over the place. I cant imagine what it would had been like had we only had 5 minutes between pens (I found out later they staggered people within pens too adding to the time). It basically would have been shuffling rather than running.

Still the marshalls had their hands full, people with headphones on or blatantly not listening when being asked to stay off the pavement. Seriously people, headphone use is a privilege not a right, use it wisely else they will pull their use completely.

I have a love hate relationship with the last 600m of the course. The JPM run is not 5km. No no. Its 5.6km. To account for this, they have this terrible loop where you see the finish line and if you are not paying attention, think all you have to do is round the corner and you are there. That my friend, is a mistake. So many people start their sprint 500m too early-- only to understand their mistake too late and they are depleted. Then I trudge along past them with the veteran knowledge of the loop and knowing there are a few more turns before I turn on the burners.

Given the sheer amount of people, this event is incredibly well organised. It's a bit manic and the loo situation never really seems to get any better, but as long as you know then its doable. However, they have water (although I heard reports of them running out of water?) and the food is decent enough. Plus TWO t-shirts! Not bad for a free event.

My only comment to the race directors would be to tell walkers to stay to the left or right (one or the other or heck even both). This way there is a clear lane for everyone else jogging/running/hopping along. Tell them early and tell them often, this way there is no confusion. I heard walkers being exasperated by runners and runners being exasperated by walkers. I get it. It's frustrating to both sides. 

CapitalTri Duathlon

Most importantly, I kept my shades on
throughout the duathlon. 

You know how when you are doing an athletic activity you keep telling yourself "Do your own race..."? Thats really bloody hard to do. Monday night a the Lee Valley Velopark was no different.

I saddled up (pun intended) around quarter to 7. No one was there, I started to get a bit nervous. Did I get the date wrong? I checked my email. Nope. Right date. I asked the lady at the front desk. "They normally come in around 7-7:15". I guess I was a bit too eager! Oh well, now I know.

So they open the gate and you follow the sign to the road track. I checked in with a very lovely man with CapitalTri. He wrote my number on my hand and let me know there was a race briefing at about 7:25. Plenty of time to 'rack' my bike, which in this case was to place it along the fence in the transition zone with the rest of my kit.

Whilst waiting I started chatting to a women who has done quite a few of these. She helped to put my mind at ease about how it was going to work. Big things to remember:

1. You can't be on your bike in the transition zone 
2. Your helmet must be on at all times when you have your bike (even whilst running with it). 
3. When running stay to the left
4. When cycling pass on your right and be vocal about passing to other cyclists

ME: "Are you training for anything?"
HER: "The alpe d'huez triathlon"
ME: "Oh wow!" ::internally thinking Do your own race, do your own race::

Again this sounds so easy, and I felt like I was going OK on my run. I did my 2 miles in 16:34(8:17/mile), which for me is not too bad speed wise. It had some hills (inclines, whatever) but it was good as it gave me an idea as to what the bike ride was going to be like.

Well, thats what I thought.

I felt good on the first few bits. I honestly did, then I hit the first hill, ugh this sucks. Need to drop gears faster. Zoom zoom! People are passing me. That's fine, I have 10 laps to catch up.

I don't think I caught up with anyone. At least I don't remember passing anyone. I would of remembered because I would have gotten to shout "On your right!" I did NOT say that the entire time.

What was I doing wrong? I assume it was partly my form and mostly my gear control. There definitely were times I was spinning with no resistance, which equates to no power. So quite a few things to work on. 31 minutes later, I happily finished my 10 laps.

Oh but we were not done. After that I needed to get off my bike and run another two laps. This sounded beyond not pleasant, but what the hey I am there so I plod through. I didn't do too bad considering, another 2 miles in 18:02 (9:01/mile).

Looking at the results, I was actually middle of the pack for the cycling-- which it didn't seem that way at the time. Maybe had I heeded the "Do your own race" mantra, I would have stopped worrying about others and maybe could have fixed my form/gear issues faster.

Where I was more back of the pack was running... ugh. However, in my eyes I feel I could gain back quite a few minutes if I learned to cycle better, so that would offset my running. I guess this is what they mean when they say usually triathletes are good at one skill, OK at another, and not so good on the remaining event. But which one am I strongest at? I dont feel good at any of them. I would have said running, but the results skew that a bit.

OR--- how about I just stop worrying about comparing myself to others and DO MY OWN RACE.

...and train better. Turns out the Velopark has training sessions as well (and its only £5 a go on the course if you have your own bike and helmet, if you don't you can rent making it a tad pricier).... and considering the event was a mere £13 it my not be my last one with the CapitalTri group.

Does anyone else have this problem? How do you stick true to your mantra when you have the niggling doubts?

The sun sets on the Velopark...

Putting in the Miles-- The Dreaded First Long Ride

Everyone remembers their first. My first long bike ride was about 7 years ago when I attempted to cycle around the Bodensee, a lovely lake that is nestled between Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. It ended a bit earlier than I anticipated with a very sore bum and a burning desire for padded shorts.

Fast forward 7 years later....

I really wanted to do the Sunday Ride with DirtyWknd, a local cycle club that has weekend rides ranging from beginners to expert. However I had work and other obligations so it had to be Saturday morning. Same destination, G!ro cafe just inside the Surrey border in Esher.

Hello Battersea Park!

I set off with some reservations about somehow getting hopelessly lost (I packed a charger for my iPhone just in case). I was pretty fine until getting over Putney bridge. The CycleSuper Highway between Tower Bridge and Battersea Bridge is just wonderful. I love the segregated bit along the Embankment, it really helps you feel at ease amongst the buses shuttling tourists to and fro.

MMMMMM.... green grass and blue sky :D

My GPS told me to take the A3 which straddles Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park. I didn't really enjoy that bit. You are careening down the pavement whilst cars whizz by you. I had visions of a tyre popping and me flying over the handlebars into a sign or worse a car. Speed demon I am not on two wheels. My mom is breathing a sigh of relief.

I was very happy to turn into Richmond Park. No cars! So much lycra! No deer observed! Green space! The rest of the trip was very pleasant, with the only hairy bit coming at the Scilly Isle Roundabout. I need to remind myself that it takes me much longer to accelerate than a car. Don't worry, the car reminded me with an very pleasant and polite (of course) honk. >.<

Blimey!

I arrived at G!ro and was beyond pumped. I did my first (well not really) long bike ride! I didn't get (too) lost and have all my limbs intact. I had a well earned coffee and avocado on toast. There were cyclists everywhere (its a cycle shop as well as a coffee shop, they do their own rides from there as well!). I let my phone charge up a bit and got back on the saddle.

So the return route had nothing too big of note except that hills (or long steady inclines as I am sure people argue London has no hills) were terrible on tired legs. I had two bigun's: Kingston Hill (A308) and then the A3 (yeah if going down wasn't fun, going up surely is more fun than a barrel of monkeys). I was so happy to cross Putney Bridge and get back on the lovely, flat, CycleSuperHighway.

This was a big confidence booster for me. An olympic ride is 40km. I did about 60km. I did hills on tired legs. Maybe 'did' is a strong word. I didn't WALK the hills. I now feel confident that I could do a group ride during the week without getting too left behind.

So if you are hesitant about cycling, please find a local group near you and sign up for a ride. Or find a cafe/park about 10-15 miles away from you and head there. Check for quieter routes, cycle routes, etc. if you are not confident on the roads.  Get there. Rest. Relax. Have a sandwich at a cafe. Head back. Take your time, and don't be put off by the other lycra on the journey. You do you.

And yes, my bum felt fine. So I learned my lesson from the last time.

Tooting Bec Lido Aquathlon

What a day!

I had a lot of reservations about this Aquathlon. Hell, I was not even sure if I was saying 'aquathlon' right ('a qwath a lon'? 'aquacklon'?).  Then I reminded myself to shut up and stop worrying. I met a member of the Lido-- his name was Al. I met him previously the day I tested out the wetsuit. I asked if he was participating and he said, "No, I only race myself now." That should be how it always is... for everyone.

So I calmed down. I stretched. I listened to the race brief. I asked questions. I chatted with other participants. I kept telling myself 'This is not the end game. Just enjoy and learn.'  To be honest I was itching to get into the water... my wetsuit was a tad bit warm in the lovely London sun (yes it exists!).

Note to self-- if you are jumping in cold water, may be best to ensure the goggles are about the same temperature. Else, the fog up. Well. Now I know :)

The nine lengths went pretty well. The lanes were huge so people didn't have to stress about holding people up behind or getting stuck behind someone.

Such a badass :D 

Transition? Ehhh... let's just say practicing dry is NOT the same as when it's wet. Fair. Makes sense. Another lesson learned.

I was not feeling too hot in the beginning of the run. I am not sure if that was the quick (in some sense of the word) transition or maybe I drank too much water in the pool. Whatever it was, I kept it relatively slow in fear of vomiting. The sun was pretty strong at this point, so it was actually quite nice having a wet trisuit on. Oh, and I was rocking some sunnies. Priorities people!

We did three laps around the common. Some of those were along roads but there were volunteers at every corner to ensure no one got lost.

I rolled into the finish and tried to to a bit of a jump at the end. I was feeling pretty good-- huzzah I did an aquathlon! I got my medal and my flapjack. All one really needs at the end of a race.

Heck yeah!

If you are thinking about doing a tri-- or are doing a tri, or just want something different, I recommend this event. It's a great way of getting your body used to swimming in cold water, like an OWS, but without the murky water. It's also great to get your body used to working out when tired.

All that was left to do was tube home (Tooting Bec is about 20 minutes walk away) and soak up the sun. A great way to spend a Saturday. 

Triathlon - Let's Get Serious Now

I have kind of been floating around exercise at the moment. I feel almost 'back' from my injury, but I have not really done any distance to speak of, my excuse being I have nothing to train for. To which NinjaBoy said "Then sign up for something!". Well played sir, well played.

I have been kinda training for my triathlon in August. A swim or two here and there, throw a run in somewhere, and sprinkle in a dreaded cycle (still don't like it). But you know...  I figured I have done this before *cough* 2013 *cough* and its not a crazy distance. Here it comes guys: HOW HARD CAN IT BE?!

Hard. As I found out on Wednesday.

I was going to have a weird work day (2pm-10pm) on Wednesday so I thought I would be proactive and go to the unheated Tooting Bec lido to scope out what I am getting myself into for the aquathlon this Saturday. I also (begrudgingly) decided to cycle down there. It was 0930, I had plenty of time...

About an hour later, I get to the Lido. It's overcast. It's cold. It's England summer. Luckily though that meant only the die hards are at the lido. I ask the nice woman at the desk a thousand questions:

Me: "Do I have to wear a wetsuit?"
Patient Woman: "No, not today"

Me: "Would you wear a wetsuit?" 
Patient Woman: "Oh heck yes... it's cold!"

Me: "Where do I change?"
Patient Woman: "You can change in any of the little huts or if you are more comfortable in the unisex changing area"

Me: "Where are the lockers?"
Patient Woman: "There are no lockers, but you can leave small valuables with me."

So I opt for a hut, and a wetsuit. The huts are like those ones you see in old time photos. Colourful and fun. Bit dark inside, but that's the way it is! I was getting a bit anxious about leaving stuff in my little hut, but one of the locals was telling me its perfectly safe.

Me: "Would you leave stuff on a busy weekend?"
Him: "No Way!"

Noted.

Such colours! 

The swim was tough. I felt incredibly slow and I took breaks with every lap. I enviously glanced at people with no wetsuit. I thought swimming in a wetsuit is meant to be easier?! My lower back hurt, my arms hurt. Oh my god. What is going on.

Such bliss!

Such agony!

 I finished 800m in 40 minutes. See the stats on the right. Perspective: my last pool swim on the left said I did 1000m in 30 minutes. I am not saying I am very slow or very fast. I am simply saying I was, how do we say, displeased based on past performances. I also don't know why Strava is in yards... also why is Strava saying different than what my Garmin says?! Thats an investigation for another day-- ::in New York Accent:: I'M BLOGGIN 'ERE!!

It was a deflating swim. I had a cup of tea to reflect. Oh christ I needed to cycle home too...

I had a quick stop to pick up Tim Horton's Coffee from a fellow runner (I love this community!) then back home with 20 minutes to spare before my work day started.

I felt tired and depressed. Am I going to be the slowest person out there on Saturday? Are people going to tut loudly as they swim past me? What the hell am I doing here?!

I go to work (no shower! no time!). I drink Tim's coffee and stew in self-doubt.

I flop on the sofa at 10:30pm and I see I got some post... from the London Tri. Oh wonderful... icing on the cake I think to myself. I open the package. It's a t-shirt.

Suddenly I remember. THIS is why I am doing the aquathlon on Saturday. To prepare for August. This is part of my training, learning what to do and what not to do on the big day. How to relax in the water, how to get out of my wetsuit without faceplating on the pavement. How to get my body used to multisport days. Saturday is not the end goal, its just a pit stop on the way to the finish....

Oh my gosh, am I in  training mode? I think I am!!

Amazing what a shirt can do! :D

Privacy Policy for the London Running App

This app does not collect personal information in any way. What it DOES do is scrape Facebook pages for London based running events for a Google Calendar that I created. That information can be found at the link below.

URL: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=yeolderunningcalendaroflondon%40gmail.com&ctz=Europe%2FLondon

Race Review: The Big Half

Has it really been so long since I have done a blog post? I guess so... but to be honest my running has been pretty terrible since Bournemouth. I was diagnosed with Tendinopathy which obviously is awesome. I have cut my running wayyyy down, like maybe 6-12 miles a week.

Which of course made The Big Half a bit of an interesting conundrum. My longest run after Bournemouth (which was October 2017) had been 8 miles and I had DOMS for about four days after. How the hell was 13.1 miles going to go on me? I had been cross training like a mofo (I can now swim a mile... huzzah) but at the end of the day would that be enough to see me to the end? Also, would my tendons play nicely or would the flare up like they sometimes do and make me cut the run short? Would I have to run/walk?

I told myself that if did not come out of The Big Half relatively OK-- I was going to give up running for 2/3 months while I majorly focused on recovery. No. Running. At. All.

PRE-RACE FUNSIES
Needless to say I was very apprehensive at the starting line. Sick almost. There was a lot riding on the next few hours, so I wanted to ensure I gave myself every opportunity to succeed. I stretched, I would keep my pace reasonable, I didn't over/under dress.

Mother nature decided to help out too. After #BeastFromTheEast and #StormEmma wreaking havoc across the UK a few days prior, Sunday was sunny and dare I say it.... warmish?

I am so glad the race organisers held fast against the rising tide of Twitter discontent and kept the race on. It would have been ridiculous given the weather conditions in London that day. However, I also applaud them offering to make it a virtual race for those in other parts of the country who could not make it due to transport woes. That's just good form.

THE ACTUAL COURSE
Living near the area, there were really no surprises for me. I have run the most of the course in some way or another in the 6 years I have lived here. The cobbles are the stuff of legend on the Marathon course, so I knew to expect them too. Mother nature also ensured there was no ice or anything that would cause an unexpected slip.

Let's talk about #tunnelgate. People were really upset about the Limehouse Link Tunnel-- which according to some went on for forever. I can assure you it didn't go on for forever (although even I muttered something about this when I was in it), it went on for about 1 mile. I checked it on MyMyRun. 1/13th of the race. I do agree they maybe should have put that there was a tunnel on the official course route but I don't think it should have ruined anyone's race. The group I was around were having fun hooting and hollering, which of course is 1000x more fun in a tunnel. Just enhance your calm people!

I am pretty sure the highlight for everyone was going across Tower Bridge. The darn thing is just so lovely and has been around for quite a long time (opened in 1894) - it served us well for motivation after we passed the Mile 7 marker. Did I tear up a little bit? Yes. I have run over that bridge more times than I can count but running it on the road is just an awesome feeling. Thank you thank you Big Half for making that possible.

Is this moosenshoes?

I had a group of friends waiting for me on Tooley Street which was also awesome, however I think I got a cramp waving my arms like a wacky inflatable flailing arms flailing tube man. So I slowed my pace and dug in for the last 10k or so of the race.

I leave it to the audience to judge. Thanks to Laurie for the video-- and of course to the SE1 crew for the support!

I will admit-- the last bit of the race is not the most exciting. Again though I knew what to expect-- so I spent the time thanking marshalls, spectators, and just trying to keep my form on some level of respectability. I also picked up a blister somewhere and I was trying to be conscious of that. I really enjoyed the music near the Printworks building, which subsequently hosts music on a regular basis.

I finished in 2:04. I got my medal. It reminds me from something from In Living Color. It is definitely unique I will give it that. 

RESULT
My tendon felt pretty good, I just had the general overall ache of someone who had not really trained well for a half marathon. Fair enough. No DOMS to speak of and I had my physio appointment and he greenlighted me to start a more 'normal' running routine as long as I kept doing the exercises and didn't go crazy too soon. I can live with that. Oh yes baby-- back at it (in a safe and controlled manner!)

ADDITIONAL
Oh boy that's not all! They had some nice 'environmentally friendly' aspects of the race too! I won't get into the whole plastic water bottle debacle-- an issue in almost every race I have been on. However, they did have 'green cups' for the sports drink station and they had recycling stations for the foil blankets at the end! Bonus!

< coincidence? Methinks not! >

Why I am Going to (Try) and Never Complain About Race Times Again

This is a bit of a rant for me. I will be posting my review of the Bournemouth Marathon soon. However, I felt like this one was more important.

Everyone has felt the elation of hitting a PB or smashing a goal set out for yourself. Conversely, everyone has felt the pain of failing miserably to obtain that goal. It's depressing. It's sad. We all have those moments.

What is starting to annoy me (and I will be the first to raise my hand and say I am guilty of this, and it's something I am trying to be more conscious about) are people saying, "Oh man I only did race x in time y, I am so slow and such a disappointment" when in actuality, there are people who would LOVE to have those times and just have not gotten there yet. Maybe they are happy where they are. Maybe they are starting with a different goal and working towards another one. Maybe they will never get there and can only dream of it. Regardless it's a bit callous and we should be thinking about our audience.

If you are with a close group of friends/people who know full well your goals and aspirations that's different. When I did Run the Boroughs, everyone knew about it and I shared it fully. Everyone knew my ups & downs throughout because I made my goals clear. But to just blast out on social media "OMG so slow only 1:35 half marathon time..." makes people think,"Oh I am only hoping to get around 2:00 is that slow? Am I not trying hard enough? I don't think I will ever get there..."

Maybe I am being too liberal snowflake here.  Let's look at the two statements below:

Statement One: If I ever run a half marathon that slow again I will stop running. 1:45 is unacceptable.
Statement Two: I did not achieve my target time in the last half marathon. It was incredibly warm and I was unprepared.

Which of those is more useful? Both make it clear the runner did not hit their goal, however the second one implies something was gained from the experience and it is not so negative.

I know I have done this quite recently and have almost instantly realised what I am saying is a poor choice of words. To those people I apologise. I am really trying to change how I talk about my running/racing results.  We all have different goals and aspirations and we should be respectful of those.

Some people are more 'thin-skinned' than others and in a society where people over glamourise the thin beautiful fast people we should realise that everyone is trying to better themselves. There are people who only run at night because they are embarrassed or they get taunted/harassed. We should be welcoming and encouraging THOSE people to reach their goals and aspirations in a safe environment free of ridicule. Sometimes all it takes is one comment to make someone hang up their running shoes forever or make them finally have the courage to sign up for their first 5k. Let's all try for the latter. 

2017 Berlin Marathon Review: Potential Umfällt Abound!

One of the best words in
the German language.

Many others have posted race reviews for Berlin so I will keep this one short(ish). I did not hold high hopes for my 2nd official marathon. I had just come off three weeks in the US, two of them for vacation where we visited at least 15 breweries (not that this was an issue per se, but it did involve drinking at all of them).

My training was non-existent. My farthest distance in the run up to Berlin was a 16 miler I did before leaving for the States. Sure we did some hiking and some kayaking-- but not sure I consider that training. I rolled into Berlin with a sense of apprehension that I would not do well at all.

Luckily there were quite a few people in Berlin for the same purpose (to run) - so it was great to catch up and chat to quiet the pre-marathon nerves. Also-- carb loading is better with friends :D

Hallo bär!

Did you know the day before the race they have a roller-blading/inline skating race that also follows the marathon route? I didn't. It's pretty interesting to watch so I recommend if you happen to be around.

Like Honolulu- I went sans headphones. I have really gotten used to longer distances without them and I find it much better for dialing in and not letting my pace be dictated by BPM (which can be good and bad). However, I did bring a pair in case I needed something to 'take my mind off the pain'.

I also decided to try and go for 10 minute mile pacing. It seemed like a good number to shoot for based on previous runs and would still put me in for sub 5 hr marathon time. I wanted to manage my expectations. Going into a marathon with not a lot of training can be... soul and body crushing.

The race support was awesome. The dreaded aid stations that I have heard so much about seemed to go very smoothly with no queueing. The efficiency you would come to expect from Germany.

This guy was a pro with
his Schwamm (sponge)

The music and crowd support was great as well. I am sure the weather kept some of the crowds away and of course like every other race some area are not as well supported as others, however those that were out were enormously supportive. I gave out many high fives to children. I touched many Super Mario Mushrooms and Stars for power. You can really feed off the crowd's energy to keep going. The DJ they had along the route (The Berlin Marathon Website has a map of all the music acts on the route, but I can't remember where along the course I heard him) was fantastic, and had I not had been running a marathon, I would have stopped and listened.

Does anyone else get choked up when they are running on a road that has so much history? I do. All. The. Time. I should start carrying tissues running in London. Turning onto Unter den Linden and seeing the Brandenburg Gate did it for me. It was built between 1788 and 1791 (that's pretty old). Napoleon took the Quadriga from the Tor after he rode into Berlin in 1806. The Tor survived (mostly) the WWII bombings and was one of the few structures to survive in Pariser Platz. It became a symbol of the oppression in Communist East Berlin and ultimately reunification when the Berlin Wall fell.

One happy, hungry finisher! 

History my friends. I was literally running through history. That paired with just sheer exhaustion made me start to cry.

I finished in 4hrs30minutes38seconds.

Do I wish I went faster? Sure who doesn't? But for me it was still a PB and given my terrible training I was very happy.

I passed on the poncho-- it looked not very stylish and anyways I had no room in my luggage for it. I quickly found Mr. Moose and I donned a sweatshirt which did the trick.

Do I recommend Berlin Marathon? Absolutely. I recommend Berlin in general though, it is such a cool city, constantly reinventing itself while still keeping true to its (sometimes sordid) history.

Area Where I Stayed: Moabit. Very easy to get to from TXL on the bus route and near S-Bahn. Also we walked to/from the race (~20-30 minute stroll along the Spree)
Where We Carb-Loaded: 12 Apostles. A damn good pizza/pasta place with two locations in town.
Best Thing About the Expo: Getting your bib/chip. Again, ruthlessly efficient.
Worst Thing About the Expo: Merchandise. We got there on Saturday morning and a lot of stuff was gone.
Loo Waiting Time: About 25 minutes. And there was no toilet paper left by the time I got there :(
Where We Went Post-Race: Zollpackhof. Huge beer hall with tons of outdoor seating along the Spree. The beer is Augustiner. Traditional German food. Great alternative to the Augustiner Bier Halle (which is smaller and farther from the finish)
What We Did When Not Running: Stasi Museum. Bit of debby-downer but golly I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. If Cold War History interests you highly recommend.
Shoes Worn: Hoka One One Gaviota's

The Spree on the hobble back to Moabit-ausgezeichnet ^_^

Race Review: XNRG Chilterns Ultra

The alarm went off at 0515 and after the initial shock my mind instantly went focused: Today is the Ultra. I went through the pre-race motions like a machine, having done them so many times in the past, but today would be slightly different in that my distance will be the farthest I ever went in one go. Breakfast and kit in tow... we left for Marylebone train station to meet up with other and make our way to Princes Riseborough (~35 minute train journey) for the Chilterns 32 Mile Ultra put on by XNRG.

Pre-Race

Shuttle Service: Could not have been easier. Shuttle was there when we arrived and drove us to the school where the start/finish was. Whilst en route I heard there were about 280 entrants, a fair number of other crazies :)

Check-In: Sign in was pretty straight forward, you name gets you your bib and your cool RFID gizmo which is used to check in at all the Check Points. It was not obvious what to do with bags but a simple query got you the answer. Free tea and coffee. Nice bathrooms (think my longest wait was 5 minutes) with plenty of loo paper.

Race Briefing: Short and to the point. Good for newbies like me who were panicking and not 100% listening just due to nerves. Check in at every CP, follow orange arrows, look for tape (with example). Suddenly we were off!

Settling in for the Road Ahead... 

I settled in with Jo, who was also doing her first ultra, for a chat and to get into the rhythm of running. The slight drizzle had turned more into rain at this point. We were hoping it would not be like this the entire time! The views were slightly muffled by the rain but lovely rolling hills could be seen for a pretty long way. 

So people who do races go through the pre-race prep religiously. Some use checklists, some lay all their kit out the night before... just to ensure they have everything they could possibly need. I thought I had this down pretty well. But, as always, something happens that you were not prepared for and leaves you standing there a bit dumbfounded. 

At 8k we passed by some spectators when someone shouted 'You are leaking!'. I was wondering why my backside felt really wet as it wasn't raining that hard. I take out my water bladder... and there is a popped seam at the bottom... and all my water was leaking! Shit. Why don't I have gaffa tape? Was my only thought. I held the bag while Jo tried to use compeed to quick patch it. No luck. Too wet. I was starting to panic. Would I have to DNF all because of a bloody water bladder? Then, an angel appeared with the bib number 73 or 83 (at least I believe it was that number, Jo paid much more attention than me). 

Angel 73|83: Water bladder broke?

Me: Yup... don't happen to have a spare do you?

Angel 73|

83: Why yes, I was just going to ask if you wanted it!

What are the odds of that? I could see someone having a spare water bottle, but a spare bladder? Thank you running Gods! I only hope Angel 73|83 got his water bladder back (if you happen to be reading this and you didn't please let me know, I left at at the results desk for you!). You saved me the extra psychological stress of running sans water or maybe even DNFing.

To be fair the checkpoints were about every 10k or so, which really broke up the course nicely. And gave us a manageable goal to shoot for ('ok just to the next CP...')

Checkpoints

Well stocked with water, squash, sweet and savoury snacks. Volunteers would refill your bladders/water bottles for you whilst you refueled. My favorite was CP3 with the sausage rolls... my only regret was not grabbing a handful and stuffing them into my backpack. I also really enjoyed one of the final (more tenuous) road crossings that had brownies on the other side. Nothing like chocolate to push one forward to the end!

Views

A runner in its natural habitat...

Even with the rainy and general overcast weather. The views were phenomenal. We went through forest, fields, and flats (peppered in with some hills of course!). On a hot day I may have found it very displeasing (open areas are death knells to runners when it's baking) but that day was not today. We managed to snag a few photos along the way towards the end. 

Pushing On....

I kept running with Jo, when we got to CP3 she said "Feel free to go on ahead". I said "We came this far together we should finish together".  I always considered myself a lone runner when it came to longer distances but I can honestly say running with someone else really helps the miles to tick away, and you encourage each other (verbally or just being there) to keep going.  For first-time ultra runners, I almost say you should find someone and stick with them... it will do you a load of good mentally. 

The end!

We rolled back into the school amidst cheers and my husband snapping photos or our triumphant return (which happened to be slightly downhill so we could look like we were going 'at speed'). We received our medals and Jo got her certificate for completing her first ultra (I forgot to tick the box, so mine will be coming unceremoniously via Post... RTFM people!). Was it fast? No. But did we finish? YES. 

They had showers (amazing) and again more tea/coffee/cake for consumption. The shuttle service was still in motion so again no worries getting back to the train station. 

Final Thoughts

I may put ultras on the back burner until I can really work on improving my marathon time (Jo and I high-fived when we hit the marathon distance), however in retrospect I do find them very challenging and enticing. I also find the running group VERY friendly-- every race I do of course is a friendly lot but in ultras it seems even more so... it's like everyone knows everyone else is in their own level of personal hell, so we may as well all trudge along together and encourage everyone we pass along the way to help them realise they are not alone and no matter what their efforts are to be celebrated, not scoffed at. 

What is it Churchill said? "If you are going through hell...keep going"

Falling in Love with Trail Running

View from Ivinghoe Beacon

It's almost official. I think I am in love with trail running. Maybe not all parts of it. I still have a love-hate relationship with hills, but I tend to think I am not alone in that sentiment. I have done two long trail runs in prep for my trail ultra and each one has had its ups and downs (literally). Let's go through the pros and cons I have had in my experiences.

Pros

So many options...

• Not having a car is not always a problem -> Transport is always an issue with a trail run, especially if you do not have a car or are not sure how well you would do after a 25km trail run with the clutch heading back into London. Luckily, there are plenty of options. The Chilterns have stations that are unbelievably close to some epic trails. For example, Tring has the Ivinghoe Beacon and Ashridge Estate. Wendover has the Wendover woods and also you can run by the PM's country estate (Chequers). Oh and the The Ridgeway cuts right through there too! For the Maverick race, the closest station was Bookham and was about 2 miles away? You could also start at Dorking or Box Hill stations for running in Surrey.  However if it's a race you can always check with your local running club to see if anyone is offering a lift. Bring jelly babies as entry fee into the car. Everyone wins!

  

  Hallo!

• BLUEBELLS -> Of course this is seasonal, but it's hard to be angry when you are running side by side next to a swathe of bluebells. Fact: there are the British Bluebells and Spanish Bluebells in the UK and the Spanish ones are threatening the native British ones! According to the WoodlandTrust, the mixing of the two breeds dilutes the unique characteristics of the British Bluebell. Why am I reminded of Brexit suddenly?
• Views -> Of course there was a view from the Ivinghoe Beacon (albeit a cloudy one) and I got to see the lion on the chalk face near Whipsnade. In Surrey I got some lovely views of the North Downs Way and saw Pill Boxes built during WWII. 
• Loops -> If doing a trail run by yourself, you have to do the navigation myself. I used the DwMap feature on my Garmin to get me around the first bit in Tring with not much trouble. As I had to do two loops, the second time was much smoother as I made all the mistakes on the first loop. 

Cons

• Loops -> Can something be a pro and a con? Yes. Loops are familiar but that also something that makes them boring. I could have turned around and run in reverse which still would have kept things saucy. Something about loops I do not like, but it's something I could have easily rectified. The Maverick Race was great as it was just one giant loop, no repetition. Well it was also marshalled and signposted... which means all I have to do it remember to look for the arrows
• It is VERY tiring -> After both of my trail runs I have needed naps in order to function the rest of the day. Make sure you are not booking anything too tedious after your long trail run--- or makes sure you can fit in a nap. The hills take a lot out of me, much more so than road running.  Maybe over time though I will get accustomed to them. 
• When You Get Nutrition Wrong.... -> It really goes wrong. I was feeling quite blah with about 4 miles to go at Maverick when there was an aid station. I thought I was doing OK but then I had some of the Skratch Labs water-- oh my goodness. Salt. I was missing salt. It tasted beyond incredible. I went for a second cup. Heaven. I felt like I was flying. That paired with the Raspberry Sports Beans made the last 5k or so feel very speedy. Lesson learned. Salt. Luckily you make this mistake once and (typically) never again... 

  

  Classic....

• When Trains Go Wrong... -> I looked up trains from Bookham back to London and found a direct train. Awesome. Just need to make it there. 'Hoofed' it as much as possible after the run to get there on time. Win. Waited. And... waited... No announcements, no change of expected time on the board. What were my other options home? I had none. I had to wait. Train arrived 30 minutes late. Drank beer from the race on the train. yes the Maverick Race gave you a beer when you finished. I was late but still felt like I was winning.  

Basically, if you are thinking about trail running-- go out and do it. With some forethought you will have a very enjoyable time and start to wonder how anyone could do this distance on just roads alone. That being said, I will never give up road running. I think it's important to be comfortable in both, and living in a city, one is just a bit easier to just up and do than the other.  

North Downs Way

 

  

Ultra Training: Week 3

Total Miles this Week: 25.85 miles

Still VERY cold

It's always a bit disconcerting when you see less runs the week after in a training schedule. And its not a taper week. No, I checked.

However, I feel that I am doing something right as I was able to do a 10k with a sub 9 minute pace with little to no issues with Mr. Moose. 30 minutes later, I did another 10k (well slightly longer at 6.5 miles) with a sub 8 and mostly into the wind. Not going to lie though, I was well pleased the last 800m was downhill. I also got to put my feet in the icy cold Channel and then walk along the beach. All while munching a chocolate egg. Brill.


I was pretty happy with this week exercise wise. It was a good mix of running and strength:

• Monday: Run commute from Canary Wharf
• Tuesday: Spinning
• Wednesday: 30 minute hill session + Bodycombat 
• Thursday: Beigel Run
• Friday: Walkies
• Saturday: 10k + 10k-ish 
• Sunday: Easter walkies 

The double session was a bit tricky to fit it, but I felt amazing afterwards, so if I want to continue spin I may need to do that more often. I think I would swap Bodycombat for BodyPump though... such choices. 

Looking out with IOW in the distance...

I was also very lucky that I did some run tourism this weekend in the Bournemouth area. I am a huge believer in going out somewhere new to run (or somewhere you at least don't go to normally to go running). It really revitalises you and also just gives you something different to look at. Sometimes you do not even need to go very far: simply changing the direction of a normal loop or heading some different side streets is enough to add inject some excitement into your 'normal' route. 

Also very excited as the Chase the Sun series has started up again so that will help me inject some faster runs (or maybe just fartleks) into my running during the week. I can do either 5k or 10k, and either way guaranteed chip timing and a delicious flap jack at the end. 

I know my 50k is nothing compared to the AT-- but wow I was definitely motivated after watching this documentary on Karl Meltzer beating the course record. So inspiring! So much calories!

I hope everyone had an amazing Easter weekend. I think we need more four day weekends don't you?

Ultra Training: Week 2

Total Miles this Week: 27.75 miles

Hello Bridge! 

So it turned out the week of the hendo I went to was actually week one... oops! Let's just crack on with week two.

I am determined to incorporate more cross training into my workout, so I did a Bodypump class this week as well as a Core beatdown/workout put on by the nice people over at Tribe in Shoreditch. Of course we did have to run to Haggerston Park and did sprints in between the core sets. Never mind! I also did a beigel run on Thursday morning with the love AR collective. Been a while and was so great to hear stories from Manchester. Tell you what-- the earlier sunrises really makes those 6am starts a lot easier.

And... this is where is started to go a bit wrong. I read that a bagel shop up in Angel was doing a promotion for £1 salt beef bagels for lunch. I checked mapmyRun. Definitely doable for a lunch time run there and back as long as the queue wouldn't be too long. I dutifully packed my bag the night before and was looking forward to a nice sunny lunch run.

Friday at work I am getting ready to run. Sports bra? Check. Socks? Check. Running shorts? Check. Shoes? ....... No shoes! I was almost giving up when I realised I was sporting a pair of Converse AllStars (yay casual Friday). Should I run in them? I decided yes, how bad could it be? Its about a 5k round trip!

Classic gin wench attire :D

Well, since that nice run (and nice bagel I should add) my feet/ankles have not been the same. I ran a total 15.5 miles this weekend and my ankle still feels funny :( However I was NOT going to miss my SecretLondon Gin run and wow the weather this weekend was pretty brilliant wasn't it?

So niggles aside, I am trying to get back into the swing of running and its going OK so far! I really need to allocate some time on the weekends for longer runs though. I am not running 50k over two days, just one. SO next week I hope to do my LSR in one day (14 miles). Also if I am lucky get on some trails soon.

I hope everyone else had a brilliant weekend running, be it for a race, for fun, or for training. Remember you got out there and did it and that is the hardest thing!

Escape to Trail: Run Review

Some Sights from the Trail

I signed up for this run (Escape to Trail Series) I believe last year when I was training for Honolulu and was putting more mileage in. It sounded ideal though, a low cost (£12.50) race close to London on a trail, accessible by trains (even Oyster Card!), and a good distance between a half and a full. The organizer (Dean) was very quick to answer all of my questions. Are there water stations? No. Is there a bag drop? No. It was a charity run -- so not only does it feed my running soul, it feeds my feel-good karma soul.
I arrived at Enfield Chase with about 20 minutes to spare, and although there was some initial confusion, all the runners basically grouped together and located the greasy spoon where we were setting off from. One loo, much queue. Good thing I didn't need to go too badly.

Race Itself: This was epic. I am so glad I know about this route now. It will make some awesome training runs later. We ran 17 miles of the New River Path (28 miles total). Think Regents canal but not nearly as crowded and more animals.  With start/finish points in Islington and Hertford, it has awesome transport links. Although the sign posting at times was a bit off (I was glad I was close to other runners) and some fallen trees blocking paths, the route was generally easy to follow. Did I stop to check my route at times? Once right near the end.  Again for the entry cost I am not going to fault the organizers for it. They did provide a Strava Route for us to follow if need be. The end was clearly posted and thats what matters. There was even a goody bag (Bounce energy ball, Coconut Water, and an Up & Go breakfast drink), which I was happy with given the cost of entry. I have paid more and received worse goody bags.

Everyone was friendly. Course was brilliant. Finish line was obvious which is really what you need.

Finish: The pub where we finished had awesome staff and delicious food. A friend who lives nearby met me there and we had a delicious chicken burger and chips. THEY DO A DUCK RACE ON THE EASTER WEEKEND. How adorable is that? Very.  Close to Hertford East train station which has trains into Liverpool Street and accepts Oyster. Hertford North is a bit farther and does not take Oyster, but drop you off at Moorgate. So again, many options.

When In Doubt... Slow Down... 

Personal: I knew physically I was not ready for this run. When talking to my friend who was trying to gauge when to meet me at the pub, I gave her an estimate which equated to a 10-11 minute mile pacing. I had not done anything longer than 10 miles this year, so I figured I should be on the more cautious side. I finished just outside my range with an average pace of 11:01 min/miles. It was very tough mentally and with about a 10k left I just switched off my pacing alerts on my Garmin. I was finding them annoying and de-motivating. I figured it is best to let me body get into whatever pace it felt would be good given the situation.

I think the aspect which disappointed the most was just how drained and sore I felt after. I am trying to chalk it up to lack of time on my feet lately in terms of long runs, but its it hard when thinking back to last year when doing back to back 16 mile days was not an issue. It's learning to tune out those niggles of doubt and remind yourself that with training those days will come back.