Getting faster at Enigma

Twelve weeks ago, after doing minimal training since May's 10in10 injury, I ran the Enigma Gold marathon - a 7.5 lap course around Caldecotte lake in Milton Keynes. I wasn't ready - my lack of training was very evident and I finished in a disappointed but unsurprising 4:54 and in quite a bit of pain from my ankle which still hadn't properly healed. Then we went on holiday to the US, and I got back to find my running mojo had totally vanished, the weight had piled on, and I couldn't fathom how I was going to sort myself out.

However, six and a half weeks ago, the mojo returned, I started training again...and what a difference it's made! :)

Runners, Foxy and Karen just before the start of the Enigma Fireworks marathon, and Lisa's 100th marathon

Yesterday, I ran the Enigma Fireworks marathon - the same course as in August - and I finished in 4:17. Thirty-seven minutes faster! I did have to push for it, and my back was quite painful towards the end, but my legs were ok, and today I feel absolutely fine - no DOMS - and so I know that although I'm not quite there yet, I'm well on my way to regaining the fitness I lost over the summer, even if the weight hasn't really started dropping yet.

Me, Karen & Emily on the front row!

Needless to same, I'm very pleased with my improvement since the last Enigma marathon, and it really gives me hope for what I can achieve if I continue training to my plan, and putting the effort in.  I think last week's 10km race helped too, and I'll definitely be introducing some speedwork into my weekly schedule from now on, even as I concentrate on getting enough miles done, in preparation for the ultras I have coming up next year.

Although my result (for me) was fab, there were a few other great things about yesterday's race. There were PBs set by Heather, Traviss, Ellen, and Tinu which is awesome, but it was also Lisa's 100th marathon and we had all the celebrations that go along with that - the presentation of her 100 Marathon Club shirt, medal, delicious cakes, presents. Loads of friends stayed after the race to be a part of those celebrations in the pub, and it was a particularly special afternoon that I was very glad to be a part of...I'm really looking forward to seeing the many photos that were taken, as they appear on Facebook! :)

I've got three weeks until my next marathon, the Saxon Shore, and I'm wondering if it's too much to hope that I could match the time I ran on that course last year. I did a 4:08 then, so it'd be a big ask to improve that much in a few weeks - yesterday, my average pace was 9:49 mins/mile, so I'd need to bring that down to 09:29 mins/mile if I was to equal my time - but I've decided that I need a goal, and that's what I'm going to aim for.

Smile for the camera

Top Santé is a women's health, fitness and well-being magazine. A few weeks ago, their features editor got in touch with me via twitter, to ask if I'd be interested in being involved with a feature they were doing on bloggers....yep, they wanted me to be in their magazine!

The opportunity to be in a national magazine is incredible, and I couldn't believe they'd asked me...but obviously I said yes! :)

Yesterday, I was invited to the Latern Studios in Battersea for a photoshoot, along with the other bloggers involved, to get some pictures done to appear in the article. I was pretty nervous - I'm not a big fan of getting my photo taken  - but decided to embrace it as a new experience.

I arrived and changed into some running gear, before having my hair and make-up done which was fabulous, and then went to see the photographer. I was hardly a natural (left a bit, right a bit, chin up, chin dowm, smile less, smile more etc) but I did have fun and everyone was very friendly. I had absolutely no ideas on what to do in the photos but they asked me to go into a "start line" position, do some stretches, and various other odd poses ;) No idea how they'll come out but I enjoyed it nevertheless.

I don't know which issue the article will appear in, but I'm really looking forward to seeing how it all looks in print!

Pushing the pace

Throughout my running career, I've not really embraced the 10km race distance - my first 10km was in July 2010, I ran three of them in 2011, and then just one in 2012, the Billericay Striders race, which starts just 2 miles from my front door - a real bonus and probably the only reason why I signed up.

This year, I seem to have followed the same pattern - the only 10km on my schedule was the Billericay Striders again, which I ran on Sunday. I'm not a huge fan of the route and don't really enjoy the first mile or so (uphill and some of it is single file along the main road) and it could do with a few more road closures throughout but it's well organised and many people do really seem to love it...and it's great that I can run to the race from home and back.

However, the thing I really enjoyed about the Striders 10km this year, was it reminded me what it was like to race. To push myself hard, to pass people, and to put in a level of effort that's very different to the effort I need to run long distances.

Obviously if I was fitter I could properly race long distances too, but I'm not and I don't - long runs are purely against myself and that's fine, but I enjoyed my legs waking up during the 10km and realising I was meant to actually run rather than plod through.  A short distance race really is a totally different type of event to a marathon or ultra and I was surprised that I enjoyed that difference so much.

I know I'm not as fast as I once was...my PB marathon pace from last year was only a bit slower than my average pace for the 10km....but that's because I haven't done any speedwork for absolutely ages, and I'm heavier these days, but it doesn't change how much fun it was to feel a bit speedier than usual! I'm thinking that although I'm concentrating on my endurance and getting miles in my legs in preparation for the longer races I've got coming up, it wouldn't hurt to include some speedwork in my training again, or to sign up for a few more 10km events.

P.S - Last year, we got a pen for a memento of the race, so I was very pleased with this year's lovely medal :)

The Stort 30 - race report

What an absolutely brilliant day. That sums up my experience of the Stort 30 this year - it was awesome, I loved it and from the various reviews and blogs I've seen from other runners, I think everyone pretty much agrees :)

This is Jerry at mile 15

I arrived in good time at the clubhouse where the race starts in Bishop's Stortford, and said hello to a couple of friends before settling myself in a corner to tape and vaseline my feet...only to be rudely interrupted by a flying banana as my long time mentor Jerry (who was sweeping the course) made his presence known ;) 

I chatted with Jerry, and with everyone, about being a bit nervous but looking forward to the run...I think in hindsight there's a part of me that wants to make excuses before a race starts just in case anything does go wrong. I did the same at the St Peter's Way 45 miler earlier in the year, telling people I might drop out at halfway. I have to stop doing this - even when I'm nervous, I must focus on the positives!

Anyway, I think I managed to catch everyone and say hello before Lindley, Race Director at Challenge Running, called us all to the start line to get ready for the off....and then away we went.

Despite there being a much larger field of runners than last year, there was more than enough room for everyone and the pack quickly thinned out as the faster runners pulled away, and we all settled into our places. As I always do, I ran the first mile far too fast, in slightly under 9 minutes (my plan had been to try and run consistent 11 minute miles all the way through plus time at the checkpoints) only having to stop when a gust of wind blew my hat off! I calmed down after that first mile though, and found a more relaxed pace.

I didn't stop at the first checkpoint - we'd been told we didn't have to, I didn't need anything and I knew how much time I'd waste there. So, I carried onto the next checkpoint at 10 miles where I was very pleased to see that one of the marshals was fellow runner and friend, Liz and her lovely husband Albi who is recovering from a stroke - great to see him up and about again.

On I went.

The course really is lovely. Although I probably missed a lot of it as I spent most of my time looking at the path making sure I knew where my feet were going, the bits I did see were very picturesque ;) I wish I'd taken some photos.

There's a mile of tarmac path to start with until you get to the river, and once you're on the trail course, it's a mix of hard packed trail path, grassy fields, a bit more tarmac and for a few miles, just mud! I was so impressed by how my Salomon Speedcross dealt with the mud - I was incredibly pleased that I'd decided to wear them, along with my Dirty Girl gaiters which worked perfectly. The mud didn't actually seem as deep or a as slippery as last year, but I'm pretty sure my judgement was skewed by the shoes...it just didn't seem that different running over the mud as running the rest of the course. The other difference in the course this year is that Lindley had put lots of route markers (blue paint arrows) down , and so I didn't need to look at the route instructions at all, and was confident of where I was going.

The weather was near perfect. It was a bit blustery...I remember one point where the wind literally blew me hard enough to make me worry I would have ended up in the river had the path not been as wide...but otherwise the temperature was cool, there were periods of sunshine and blue skies and so generally we had great running conditions.

As I got closer to the turn around point (mile 15), I started to get passed by lots of runners on their return trip, and took the opportunity to cheer on everyone I could. I love the camaraderie of the ultras but hope I didn't annoy anyone with my regular "well done" that I shouted out! A particular highlight of that section was being high-fived by Paul Ali as he ran past me...there was a boat load of people on the river just there and I remember thinking, I hope they can see what fun we're having!

I got to 15 miles in decent time and was feeling great. I stopped for a brief chat with fabulous Karen, and made sure I sampled some of her famous baking, before heading back along the way I'd come, still cheering on the other runners making their way down to the turn around. Was great to see Nici, who is a Twitter friend I hadn't met before, who was completing her first ultra and I made sure I cheered her on too. Looking at my Garmin stats, I was averaging just over 10 minute miles .for the first 20 miles of the race, and I really did enjoy pretty much every step of it.

The last 10 miles though were much more of a struggle, and my lack of training started to tell. I suppose I should have taken it slower for the first 20 and tried to be more consistent throughout the race, but I was enjoying myself so I'm not going to regret that. I stopped for ages at the last checkpoint, and the final 6 miles were very hard as I totally lost my focus - my back particularly started to ache, I started walking for long periods of time, stretching, and generally faffing about, instead of running.

Another friend, Rosemary, was running and needs a particular mention - the day before she'd run Beachy Head marathon and she stormed past me at about 28 miles, finishing incredibly strongly - I was very impressed with that.

Eventually I made it to the end where the course takes you along the side of the club house but you then have to run what is quickly becoming a quite infamous lap of the sports field before crossing the finish line. Seriously, having to do that lap is just cruel at the end of 30 miles - it always reminds me of being at school and having to run the 1,500m around the field when I was about 13 which was always torture, and I think it's that memory that makes it feel so tough as opposed to the 30 miles already in my legs!

Anyway, race finished, I got the fabulous Stort 30 medal, a technical T-Shirt, and a hug from Karen. If I was disappointed not to get a medal last year, this one definitely made up for it - a replica of a piece of art that is out on the course, totally unique and as good in real life as it had looked on the internet! I love it :D

I was also very pleased to see friends Conrad and Morgan at the end, who had both finished in their target times of sub-5hrs, and also to meet for the first time, Paul (who is running the 10in10 next year), his girlfriend Caroline and friend from Twitter, Dan, if only briefly.

Sue, who's part of Challenge Running, was also taking part in the race and prior to the big day we'd both been bemoaning our lack of training and worrying about how we'd get on - unfortunately Sue suffered with stomach issues, and even threw up but still finished in just under 6 hours - brilliant strength of character to keep going :D

I came across the line in 5:23:59 (against last year's time of 4:57:38) but knowing how well the first 20 miles went, and knowing I'd only had 5 weeks training, I'm really pleased with the result and am taking it as a real positive...especially because I didn't have any trouble with my ankle, and so I am declaring the injury resolved!

Getting ready for the next race

It's been a fortnight since my hyperbolic and overly enthusiastic blog post about inspiration and my return to running....so how am I doing now? Well, actually, pretty well.

My run streak didn't last - I got to 20 days and 116 miles and decided that the extreme tightness in my leg muscles and 24/7 pain from rapidly developing shin splints wasn't worth the glory of a streak, and so took a couple of days off. It was a good decision, and I came back to training physically refreshed. Although I wasn't waxing quite as lyrically about every run after the streak ended, and I've had a few real shockers, I'm still pleased with my progress and in the last month (since 23rd September when I started running again) have racked up 162 miles.

I think that the change in my mood has come about because for the first few weeks of my return, it was all about rediscovering my love for the trails, but recently my focus has changed as I've been starting to prepare for my next race, the Stort 30, which is this weekend. The race is organised by Challenge Running and it's an out and back along the River Stort in Essex, starting from Bishop's Stortford. I absolutely loved it last year, especially as I managed to finish as first lady - I was lucky that it was a very small field (it was the inaugural event) and an excellent female runner who was meant to be coming didn't turn up! ;) 

Me, finishing the Stort 30 in 2012

The route is mostly trail, along some some pretty countryside, and the support from Challenge Running is excellent - the only downside last year was the section that was incredibly muddy...and I'd turned up in road shoes. How I didn't end up on the floor or in the river was a miracle ;) This year, I will be in trail shoes, probably my Salomon Speedcross. 

A section of the Stort 30 route...when it's been dry!

I'm really looking forward to the race, particularly because a lot of friends are going to be there and it'll be lovely to see people, in person, who most of the time I only talk to online. The problem is that I'm going to be attempting to run 30 miles with just 5 weeks of training in my legs! But that's ok - I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm going to be way off last year's time, and my sole aim is to finish...but I'm also realistic that just finishing 30 miles on so little training is going to be painful, and very hard work.

I've done two long runs over the last two weeks, both of 19 miles. Both were much more difficult than I ever expected a 19 mile run to be. My ankle hurt, my knees hurt, and I even found my mental strength waning, especially as the weather was atrocious for both of them. I'm just starting to appreciate how very fit and focused I must have been this time last year, and in the run up to the 10in10. I had no idea and it makes me a bit sad that I've lost that level of endurance, strength and psychological resolve! Determined to get them back...although obviously that's not going to happen by Sunday ;)

Anyway, for my taper week, I had a speedy 5 miler last night, ran a slow 6 miles this morning before work, and I've got a massage booked for this afternoon. If I thought my 19 mile training runs were painful, I have a feeling my massage will give me a new sense of perspective! To round off the week, on Friday I'm taking part in a Poppy Run - a 5km charity run around Battersea Park, in aid of the Poppy Appeal for the British Legion, and then it's the big day on Sunday.  

The next time you'll hear from me, I'll either be in pieces because my ankle didn't hold out in the race, because I didn't make the cut off time, or some other disaster befell me (like slipping on the muddy river bank and falling in the water maybe!) or absolutely over the moon because I'll have done it - I'll have finished and will be the owner of one of these: the fabulous 2013 Stort 30 medal!