Where I feel amazing and then ache a lot.

Yesterday I felt on top of the world.  I was amazing.  I was running through the streets of London wanting to tell random strangers how amazing I was.  I was a totally, totally, totally amazing woman who could run and run and run just like Forrest Gump but faster.

I had forgotten about the pain of my sore throat and how my legs felt like lead for the first 4 miles cos by the time I'd dodged the Sports Relief 1 mile runners who were scattered around Central London in a variety of sports clothing and funny looking costume and made it to mile 14 I felt bionic. 

This belief that I had near superpowers made me decide to up the pace for the last 4 miles and I reached Archway at a really reasonable time of 3 hours 36 mins.  I should have realised I'd overdone it a bit when I lost the ability to add 17 and 19 and struggled to walked the remaining half an hour to my flat but I was still immune!

Today I woke up and realised I really didn't feel well and that my legs were really stiff and achey.  I've walked to work and am taking it easy but still feel absolutely shattered and plan to book the day after the marathon off work.

On a sunny, happy point I was really pleased to have been sponsored by someone just after I did my 18 miles and that alone makes today's aches and pains worth it!

16 miles and a few loo stops

I feel that I have little more to say than:

I ran 16 miles on Sunday!!!!!!!!

I'd leave it at that but it was in fact 15.9 miles and I had to make some strategic loo stops.  Strangely the planners of London have not seen fit to realise that runners need to go to the loo!  Key loo opportunities need to be planned AND budgeted for.  On my 16 miler I went to the loo twice on route and once at the end forking out 30p x 2 to use the facilities at Charing Cross station and have a freebie with toilet roll at Battersea park.  I stopped at one  toilet and then backtracked in shock that Westminster Council wanted to charge me 50p!

My pace is something I should also mention.  I was very, very slow.  So slow I refuse to disclose the time taken on the internet.  To be fair it was supposed to be slow as to reduce the risk of injury and pain and instead to build up muscles for spending more time on my feet so I'm mostly happy about getting it done.  And due to carefully planned stretching, rehydrating and  eating - Boots meal deal for starters and some yummy home made lasagne on my return I appear to be fine today and have even planned my route for next Sunday.

Bring on the miles!

Where I stood in a queue for a really long time

I'd really been looking forward to the Milton Keynes half marathon last Sunday but woke up with a sore tummy and a feeling of dread like someone was about to send me to the gallows.  I put it down to nerves and told myself not to be so silly, that it had been a funny week and a nice, long run with lots of other people would be just what I needed.  I also knew that my mum, her boyfriend and my brother were going to come and cheer me on and pick me up off the ground at the end so had a great incentive to make it all the way round.

 Arriving at Milton Keynes Central I headed for the station toilets as queues for portaloos are notoriously long at these events and I  thought I be clever.  Not so clever when I emerged to find the millions of runners that had traveled on my train from London were nowhere to be seen.  Neither were any of the promised signs to the race start anywhere in view.  Fortunately I found some other lost souls and me managed to navigate the avenues of Milton Keynes. For the very first time in my marathon endeavours I had made some new friends - running buddies and I felt like a runner!

The race itself was supposed to be flat.  Now I come from Peterborough which sits nicely on the edge of the fens so I have a pretty good idea of what flat is and this was a little hilly or "undulating" as race terminology would have it.  With every down comes an up and so by mile 6 and the sight of a slope I found myself nearly driven to tears.  I kept going - the trick is to keep on going and to be fair I had no clue what you do if you stopped.  I wasn't injured so an ambulance wouldn't appear and whisk me off so stopping probably meant I would have to walk back; so I kept on going.

By mile 10 I was beginning to enjoy myself.  I'd semi abandoned a personal best and decided just to run.  As I cross the final bridge I spotted my family waving, proud with their cameras and hand I remembered why I was doing it and why I running the marathon in April - it was for families everywhere and my Relate Virgin Marathon family.

Sunday was certainly not the high point of my training and ended with me and my mum and her boyfriend standing in a winding queue in the Xscape Centre for 1 hour 15 minutes waiting for to get my bags back but it was really worth it to make me remember just how important families are.

Whatever the weather

I've realised over the past week that I feel as if I've been running from one season to another. Last week's 2 runs where completed in the most horrible rain. One day I even came back from doing 6 miles to discover rain coming in through my ceiling! I still managed to stay mostly positive about it spurred on by the donations I'd received to my Virgin Money Giving page and support from my Relate London Marathon Family. Pledges for Relate have now reached over £800 so another £500 to reach my target.

By Sunday I was becoming a little despondent about the seemingly neverending rain. I was visiting my real family in Peterborough and got up early as usual for my run and found myself finishing up with a circuit of Ferry Meadows Country Park through flooded paths and big gloopy puddles of mud with only ducks, swans and geese for company.

I was reminded of the 14 year old me who lost her shoe whilst running in an inter school cross country competition, got stitch and gave up after an overheard conversation by some girls from another school revealed they were county champions. Oddly enough this memory spurred me on and I refused to be beaten and as a bonus my mum washed and dried my running kit when I got in - that's not bad at the age of 38!

The flipside of all of this was that when I ran on Tuesday this week the weather was absolutely glorious. I'd left work early enough to run in daylight and without the rain and umbrellas and puddles to dodge I loved it.
I wonder if I am now "weatherproof"?

I am now looking forward to tonight's run and am nervously excited about Sunday's half marathon in Milton Keynes - if you're watching give an extra cheer for me and for Relate!