I had forgotten....

How much I love doing tri!!!

I will get to that in a minute though.

This week, was ok I guess. Didn't feel all that til Wednesday but that was par for the course. Did track Tuesday, and felt I did better than the week before. We did 400m 200r, 600m 200r x 4. Now the 400s I like, the 600s I find really hard, but yeah, makes you stronger.

Wednesday was a time trial swim for 400 in prep for today's tri. Now that would have been really good if I had pressed the right bloody button on my watch :-D anyway, at least I went.

Thursday was 12 x 400 intervals. On rep 6 I thought my legs would buckle but I pulled myself together and got them done :) I planned to go to bootcamp in Hyde Park that night, but I couldn't find them!! It wasn't that surprising, the park was heaving! No harm done though, I probably didn't need to go. Stomped home though.

Friday I did go to bootcamp at lunchtime. God I felt it too but that s good! Then Mr H got home from his mums so it was really nice to see him. We were going to get takeaway but it was soooo hot neither of us was that bothered. Beer did :-D

Saturday was parkruns first birthday. Nice to see it so busy :) was lovely to be presented with a trophy for being the female points winner and Vicky did a really nice speech. I was WELL embarrassed!

Then the run, well Jordan took off like a rocket and I just knew I couldn't stay with her. At halfway I think I was 10.23 which is fab but I was fading  and I knew I couldn't maintain. Ended up 21.31. Which incidentally was one of my PB times in the past. I can't be too upset with that.

Felt pretty crappy for the rest of the day really. Probably the humidity and heat. It was very oppressive. Went to bed at 8.30!!!! And slept till 4.30. Bingo!

I packed my kit and gave it to Mr H to take in the car then cycled down to the leisure centre. How cool is that, a tri 1.5 miles from my house.

Met up with a few Dagenham mates and faffed around til my start time at 7.30. 400m swim, 16 count your own lengths. Was fine if slow, the only worry being the getting out at the deep end at the end but luckily I appear to have at least a little upper body strength now so didn't look too much like a beached whale getting out. 

Quick run round to transition and the usual ' where the fuck is my bike!' Panic.then off for 3 laps of 7k each. Each lap had I think 4 sets of traffic lights and a road works bit with temp traffic lights and you had to stop at them........I think in all of that I went through 4 on green. But, it's the same for everyone. The roadworks were the worst if you got there as it changed it was about a minute and 20!

Anyway, I felt quite strong on the bike, played cat and mouse with a few people and passed a few, but you never knew which lap they were on. Tried not to draft but I challenge you not to when you all have to stop at lights!

Got back to the centre and know I did a good bike run transition, but that's the easy one innit! Ran out feeling strong and immediately overtook a few people.....and then basically didn't see anyone for 5k. Made it a bit hard really to keep the effort up so I just did as best as I could thinking that the time was still important.

We were chip timed so you could see pretty quickly where you were and it seemed that I was third lady, but of course that could change with later waves going.

It didn't!!!!! I was third lady and I got a nice trophy, pretty cool huh! My friend Jenny was fourth but got 1st senior so a really nice day :))))

A blog

As many people have said, 'it is what it is'

I always think, ' oh shut up' :-D

Didn't blog last weekend. Don't really know why. Too hot or something. Did the Felsted 10k, which was Essex champs. It was a nice course I guess but yeah very hot. I did 45.22 official and I will be honest I was hoping for better. Still got 8th in my age group and so should have got points in the Grand Prix but they didn't give me any. I have emailed but maybe I didn't tick the right box on the entry?

No one will die.

Then a busy week at work with this and that. Went swimming, went to track with Ilford, that was good and my inexperience showed very much, but I'm sure it will help with speed if I work at it. Did an 8 x 800m interval session on Thursday, now that hurt a bit but again, it's all going in the bank.

Also marshalled at club handicap Thursday night. Advised a little girl about 7 or 8 to be careful of the runners. She glared at me whilst waiting for her mum to catch up. Took her mums hand to walk off, looked behind her and very carefully and purposefully spat in my direction. Jeez, so much venom in someone so young. It's not right is it?

I know I don't have kids but surely I'm not that bad with them? I was one once. I am sometimes accused of still being one.

Friday did Bootcamp at lunchtime. Different instructor, was good, she took us through some quick circuits, no breaks and I liked that. And we stretched really well at the end. I hope she is back again.

Beer with my mate L after work, then met Mr H for curry. Now I've been eating curry as long as I've known Chris and generally go for the drier ones, I don't really do slop. But lately I've been having pathia cos I love the hot sweet and sour taste. But it is much more 'sloppy' than what I usually have and I don't really think that agrees with me at all as everytime lately I suffer badly the next morning. Maybe it's creamy/fatty sauce? I am someone who can be sick just thinking about the food I have eaten if it was particularly creamy or rich.

So I went to parkrun somewhat depleted, but was most surprised to do 21.19. I had to turn away from the camera at the end cos I was heaving, but hey ho! The rest of the day I was a fatigued mess and went to bed desperate for a good nights sleep.

So I woke up at 3 am with lower back pain driving me nuts. You know when you cannot stretch something out and make it comfortable. That. Took codeine in the end and went off agin around 5.30 am. Hd the most horrendous dream. My nan had been taken to hospital in France....no I don't know why either because she never left these shores. The doctors were saying that because I couldn't look after her full time they were going to stop feeding her so she would die. 

You can imagine that was quite stressful and when Mr H started clattering around at 8 I was quite thankful to wake up :-/.

Anyway, we went to the cafe for breakfast and then he set off up to his mums for the week. I sat down on the sofa and went to sleep! Really not feeling great. Supposed to do 24k today, just not going to happen so I did 5k and pottered. That's fine, lucky I could do that really. Watched the end of the tour, and then here I am. Hopefully get a better night and wake up ready to do some decent training next week. I'm feeling a bit out of shape. Need to get a grip :)))

I want it ALL......

Or nothing at all....

In may, for the first time ever I DNF a marathon. I didn't like it, it's not me but it left me with a bit of a problem. I had signed up as the marathon relay runner with friends Lesley and Saffron at the Outlaw Iron distance tri in July.

I will be honest I considered not going. Mentally I no longer felt I could run a marathon and in the end I feel that it is your head that runs a mara. Your body just follows.

I thought, and thought and came up with a plan. I would go, but I would go as part of a team, to complete and enjoy what is one of my favourite events. If I could get a good time then ok, but that wasn't the be all and end all. It couldn't be, that broke me at Halstead.

So in the months in between I have been concentrating on shorter stuff and loving it. I made a nod to marathon training at the longest parkrun, but that was it. I also did my best half at Southend, this told me yes, I am getting faster over longer, but I also know in my heart that I need more time to translate that to marathon distance.

So outlaw weekend arrives. I decide I may as well do parkrun and surprised myself with a 21.14. I wasn't going for a quick time but it felt fine and I wasn't broke after. I also wanted that 25th First Lady ....tart!!!!  As it happened next lady was 5 minutes later, I could've eased off a bit :-D

Then a dash home for haircut and to set off to Nottingham. We set off and alls well. I'm nodding off and I suddenly wonder if I put my wallet in my bag in the boot, I'm not sure.....then I see a missed call from Lesley. I ring her, ' have you got photo ID?' 

'Erm, I'm not even sure I've got my purse' 

'Well Saff can't register us without photo ID of us all, no way, I have emailed mine to her can you do that?'

Cue major panic. We are in a traffic jam with no where to stop. Eventually we pull into a pub car park and I check in the boot. I have got my wallet and it does have a photo work ID in it. Need to speak to Saff to find out if I text it to her they will accept it. Of course she has just gone into the briefing.

A very tense hour followed....I had a pint of beer :-D now there isn't time to get there for registration so I have to pray that they will accept the texted photo. We set off anyway with Mr H breaking speed limits and are mightily relieved when we get the text to say they have accepted it!!!! We slow down a bit then.

We went to the water sports centre for a wander but it's 5 o clock by now and most people are gone so we go to the hotel :) it's about 10 miles away but very nice. We settle in and have a few beers and a burger on a breadboard.....a plate would have been so much more convenient, but there you go.

In bed nice and early and up for 5.45 so we can get to HP and see Lesley out of the swim and pick up my number.

Lesley does us proud, in 1.25. Quick swap of chip and Saff is off doing what she does best. Now I just have to wait. Go for brekkie though I'm not that hungry cos its already proper hot. Mr H suggests a walk round the lake. Like a fool I agree even though I bloody know its about 3 miles :-D

After that I find some shade to lie in and concentrate on drinking water. Lesley finds us and advises that Saff is storming the bike and expected back around 1. I go and put my kit on cos I don't want to not be there.

Go to the holding pen and wait, and wait, and wait really in blazing sun. I run to the portaloo about 4 times cos I can't stop weeing! Not ideal I'm thinking although it must have meant I was properly hydrated.

Eventually Saff arrives, she had a puncture! Worst nightmare (well nearly, not as bad as coming off) I get the chip and off I go. 2 laps round the lake. At the grandstand end the support is brilliant. It gets a bit lonely at the far end but you always know there is something to look forward to. I start well, between 8.05 and 8.15 for the first 4 miles, but I know already that's not sustainable. Sweat is pouring off the peak of my visor and I can feel my skin burning, when I turn off the lake for the first out and back after 6 miles I know I need to walk the stations and take on fluids and also get fluids over me.

The out and back is a mixture of good and bad, some of the surfaces upset my feet, but there are also some shady bits that I like. A couple with sponges are a godsend, and also the man with the pump sprayer. Just after the turnaround is the 10 mile sign. I'm ok so far. Another couple of miles and I can feel my feet start to hurt on the bottom just like Halstead. Doubt starts to creep in. I know need to get to that 15 mile marker and pass it. Case of grumpy head down pirate for a while. It's a relief to get back to the lake and get my third band, but then the slog round it is hard, until you get to the grandstand where the pirate support was just awesome!

Then it's off out along the river again. Aid station at about seventeen I just didn't know what I wanted.mi knew I needed fuel but felt sooo sick. A sip of coke then. And a cup of water over my head.

Then slog to the turn around. I see 20 miles and think I may cry, I know I can do it now, just got to hold it together, just got to get back to the lake for one more lap. I'm a bit worried now because I really want to be sick. I pass a man being tended by a medic who is chucking his guts up. Doesn't really help :-/ I see people running towards me with no focus in their eyes and I feel so sorry for them because I know how far they have to go. Almost to the lake a Marshall tells me how good I am looking (!) and then shouts 'and Murray won!' I stop, turn round and say 'really????' Yes he says really! 'Fuckinghell!!!' Is my eloquent response.

Now I'm smiling though and beam at all the marshals I pass coming into the centre. Got onto the lake and the second to last aid station. I can't remember what the woman there said to me but it made my want to cry but I didn't I pushed on and got that last band.

Then I put my head down and ran. I passed loads of people, of course many of them had done the whole thing and I really do salute them, I do know what it's like, but I had heard the time and knew I could get us under 12 hours if I stayed focused.

The best thing ever was seeing Lesley and Saff waiting just before the finish Shute to run in with me :)

That wasn't my quickest mara, but I am very proud of it and my team mates for a simply awesome day.

Many thanks must go to Mr H for not only supporting me but every person he saw out on that course. I'm sure he alarmed many people brandishing that water pistol but more were thankful :)

It doesn't take a whole day......

To recognise sunshine.....

But if you're English it might take a little longer :-D

Been a while hasn't it!  Guess I must have been busy. 

Work has been yeah, had neuroscience seminar day and a sort of focus group seminar day that is actually still going on. Still, it's useful to be able to bat ideas back and forth, and all our experience adds up to make for useful discussions.

Running, did an ok parkrun last week, 21.22. Happy with that. Then Sunday was the longest parkrun. 7 parkruns in a day starting at 90 minutes intervals. 

We went to Walthamstow, Wanstead Flats, Valentines Park, Barking, Beckton, Mile End and Hackney Marshes.

My aim was to use it for marathon training. I had an idea that mara pace would make my aim about 25.50 for each.

First one was 26 minutes, very easy chatting all the way. The next 5 were all sub 25 (24 something's) and the last one, 25. So all good really. I had a great day it was loads of fun. Very tiring though as it was a long old day.

This weekend I did parkrun on Saturday against my better judgement really. Or maybe staying out drinking the night before was against my better judgement eh? Anyway, 21.50. Can't argue too much.

Then yesterday was a club GP. Horndon on the Hill 10k. The name tells you what you need to know :-D

It didn't start til 11 and it was already hot. But I always say I like hot!!! So come on then!!!

Started well I thought having positioned myself well, and I guess there must have been 2 women in front of me. About a k in another passed me, and shortly after that we turned and doubled back on ourselves so we could see who was behind and how close they were. That gave me a kick up the arse I can tell you. But then you run up the bastard hill you have just run down. Ouch!!!! The first water station was very much needed! A little over 2 miles an old club mate overtook me, I was expecting that. Just keep on, keep focused. 

And I did, every time a family were hosing people from their garden I veered over glad of some respite from the heat! I took a cup from each water station as my mouth was so dry I felt sick, but not sick enough to stop! And I kept thinking of the people behind me who would want to beat me, and trying to catch CT up.

With 600m to go a friend shouted I was 5th lady, or 4th if I could sprint.....well I didn't have a sprint in me at that point so 5th it was. In 45.04.

Milled about a bit and then left as I needed to get back to go out to Hard Rock Calling.

So of course I won a prize. 1st v35. I haven't seen it yet :)

Then of to see Bruce. Totally awesome. No need to say more.

So say goodbye....

It's Independence Day, all girls must run away.

Well it's boys really but you get my drift.

I can't go to a Springsteen concert without thinking of dad. I'm not going to go all mushy or anything just cos its Father's Day. But it's true. I first heard Dancing in the dark when I was 14. I remember dancing round the kitchen to it, and my dad walked in. I wanted to impress him with the music I liked as he was well into his music and I asked his opinion. He said ' yeah, it's ok, but really you need to listen to his earlier stuff'. Ok. Well he died a few days later. I became obsessed with getting everything I could by Bruce to listen to. And yeah I was probably really was obsessed, but you do what you have to to cope.

By a happy coincidence it led to me being  introduced to my husband 4 years later. He was sceptical when my colleague told him I was a Springsteen fan, but I put all doubts aside by naming all of his songs in chronological order. I did say I was obsessed. We went to see him at wembley in the summer of 2008, perhaps cementing out relationship (or maybe that was sex, dunno :-D)))

When I got that tickets for that one we were working together but no one was allowed to know, workplace policy and all that. Well he phone me to say thank you, but it wasn't me who answered my phone, so what poor Lesley thought when he told he he loved her and did a big kiss to her down the phone I don't know. She never said a word :-D

So yeah, went last night, was bloody ace, I always feel like I'm coming home when I go to one of his gigs. And I have another in two weeks. Happy days Amanda.

So, you ask running? Not bad.

Tuesday was Elvis at Harrow Lodge. Did the course in jan as a parkrun. Was bloody cross country it was so muddy and was 24.20 or something. Wasn't really looking forward to it. But, cycled there (I love when I can do that, I am aspiring to be Jenny who cycles much further than me to races) and lined up feeling ok having a few words with B who congratulated me on Southend half. Nice :) 

Started like a rocket which is my only setting really, over really sapping tufty grass, I hated that but head down grit teeth. There is some Tarmac but not much, it was a real case of just digging in and wishing it over. A couple of girls from Eton manor passed me but I was running as best I could. I literally was just hanging on and listening to the supporters shouting people on to know who was behind me, mainly men so ok. 

The last 500m I can hear people urging B on, so now I had to properly find out what I could do, and I did, I beat her and ended the race retching, but made it to the bin :-D 7th female and 21.57, much better effort than before.

Did this and that for the rest of the week, I was really exhausted after that, and then did parkrun Saturday. No amazing result, I was tired and it showed 22.01, but ok and I biked there and back. I am fairly sure these 4 and 5 mile rides will come in bloody handy when I cycle 100 in August......

Then today Kelvedon Hatch 5k a BRR GP race. I was umming and arring all week about whether I should drink at the concert.

Seriously, who am I kidding? Of course I drank, no point in not them tickets cost me 130 quid!

But we were in by 1 and we didn't have to leave the house til 8.45. I felt ok and had good banter on the way with club mates.

When we got there and lots of people were milling round, I thought, ok, I can be first female here. Though the main aim was to be first BRR female. I know! That makes me sound like a twat!

And I think it was after about 200 meters of the start I knew that unless I cocked up badly I would be first female. I didn't relax though because the marshals gave no hint of where I was, which sometimes happens and I know my club mate Vicky will kill herself to beat me :)

I was very happy then to finish in 21.26, and yep First Lady. Vicky got first vet and our first 3 boys got first team. Not a bad day for BRR. The male winner was 16.25!

So yeah, not a bad week really. I will leave you with another Springsteen lyric.

Now some folks are born into a good life, other folks, they just get it any way any how.....

Have you heard.....

About my screams, cos I like a drink and I haven't touched one in weeks....

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

That's a big fat lie. I keep meaning to lay off it before races and I keep forgetting. Still the curry beer and wine race preparation seems to be doing the trick.

I'll tell you shall I.

Monday went to Bootcamp in Regents Park. The public map must have been upside down cos it took me ages to find them :-D no drink though.

Tuesday was club handicap at barking. I dusted off my road bike to cycle down and remembered that I love it :) had a good run, was 21.26 I think? Whatever I haven't made it any easier for future races I can tell you. Finished higher up the field this time so times were more accurate. No drink though.

Wednesday I was supposed to be at early morning bootcamp but I woke feeling quite exhausted and had to text to say I wouldn't go. Was a good move I feel. Had a quite trying day at work, mainly because I think sometimes you have to be practical about things but explaining that to people who don't want to be is like hitting your head against a brick wall. Went for beer :-D

Thursday did intervals. Like a proper geek I had downloaded a session from garmin connect into my garmin *beams* how brilliant is that.

Set off on 2k warm up, that never seemed to end. After about 3 miles it struck me I hadn't hit the start button. Fucking geek muppet. Turned it on and did it the old fashioned way. Was 8 x 400m I think. I liked it cos I'm strange like that. Went to work all endorphined up, went for big beer :-D

Friday went to lunchtime bootcamp. Was good but really hard. Can't think why. Oh then after work went for beer. And wine. And curry.

But you see, I knew I'd be alright cos Tuesday night my legs said to me, we have more. Put us on the startline Saturday and we will show you.

Who am I to argue. I cycled there because me and my bike are in love. Chatted to j and her dad. She wasn't so good last week as she had a knee niggle, she was still First Lady though, and I expected a race.

We set off and there was one bloke in front of me for about 50m. Then I overtook him, and well I just felt great. I knew I was running well and it felt amazing. 1 mile in 6.36. I've been faster but not often. Halfway in 10.23. Blimey, I've never been that at halfway. Now I know I can PB. Being in the lead is making me keep at it. Yeah, I don't want to be passed. I want this!

And until 4.5k I had it. Then a bloke who has come first there previously overtook me. I had been aware of him for a while and when he went I couldn't stay with him. I had better get a bloody PB now!!!

And I did. 2nd overall. 21.04. Job done. J pulled out on second lap. She'll be back and I will give her a better race :)

That made me consider today. Southend half which I had decided not to do. Russ told me just to do 20k instead. 

So I decided to do it :-D cos I'm not a contrary cow. Oh no!

And I loved it! Out and backs mean you are saying hello to people you know all the way. I had sooo much fun and I felt ace. Much better than last half I ran. That showed in the result 1.38.24 a nice PB.

My club mate V beat me by about 45 seconds in a 10miler the other week. She beat me by 3 today.....though I didn't know til after cos we started in different places, her much further forward than me. Maybe I would've just pushed that bit harder? Dunno.

Anyway V me and C won the third ladies team prize. Dead chuffed to have been part of a prize winning team for my new club for the first time.

Mr Made me roast chicken when I got home.

Happy days.

Oh it's such a perfect day.......

I'm glad I spent it with you.....

By that I mean Lesley, Gerry and Saffers, and all the other people at the Outlaw Half today :)

I have to document how very impressed I am with Lesley. When she entered this race she sorted herself out a training plan, and she bloody stuck with it, through all the shite weather and all the things she was scared of, and today she completed a half ironman. That gets my respect and I had a lump in my throat when she went down the finishing shute. I thought it might be hayfever but I know it wasn't :-D

So a great weekend which started yesterday morning when I raced the second Elvis race at Orion. A tough ish course of 5 miles which I did in 41.20 last year. I know I'm a better runner this year and was pleased to finish in 36.37. B a rival from Ilford passed me about 3 miles in and urged me up a hill which was a really nice thing to do I thought, and shows she knows who I am now, she didn't last year *beams* she did beat me but I am still stronger over 5k. I'm a work in progress.

Anyway my target for the Elvis series is to be in top 10 women in the races I compete in and so I now have a 6th and a 10th. The challenge is on.

Then home for a shower and to pack then up to Nottingham on the train. Once there my iPhone guided me a couple of miles to the hotel. I dumped my stuff and headed to the pub where I had some food and people watched. I am fairly sure the guy who won today was in there with his family eating pasta!

Early to bed and up at 4. I didn't need to be but there were triathletes at the hotel and once they were up and about I was fully awake. Dossed about for a bit then set off to walk to Holme Pierrepoint. Was another couple of miles but very pleasant and I got there about 6.15. Text Lesley and soon enough she and G found me and then got very stressed as Lesley couldn't get into the swim bit. I think there was a bit of jobs worth going on somewhere! Anyway she did just in time and at 6.50 the women's wave set off. 

Me and G went round the lake and were able to stand looking over transition just where Les and Saffers bikes were racked (this was an all your gear on the floor affair, and I think Lesley had actually bought the contents of her flat).

So Saff out first and we we met for the first time as she was trying to get her wetsuit off :-D Les followed shortly after and did amuse me by tearing open a gel and throwing it all over her stuff.....I'm not laughing I always do that, I'm glad I'm not alone :-D anyway, soon enough she was off out.

Me and G went off, got changed into our running gear and then did a pleasant 14k by doing a lap of the run course, with a bridge added in. Chatting about ironman and running in general it was a really nice run. Getting cheered by the kids at the aid station was a bonus. We got back and changed and then went back to transition to wait.

Saff back first with an excellent bike split (good good she's our biker in the full relay). Then we waited for Lesley, who managed to give us a little bit of drama but not too much :) everytime we saw a lady cycle in with a black tri suit we jumped up, then sat down again when it wasn't her. Anyway, she didn't let us down and assured us she felt ok going out on the run.

We then went to the opposite side of the lake where we could sit and see her 4 times potentially. We were able to see Saff come past us once here as well. So we cheered on lots of Outlaws until Lesley passed us for the last time for the loooong run round the lake to the finish. (Oh do I ever remember that!) once she had gone we went back round the lake to the finishing stand to wait. Luckily we had been able to recognise Saff when she went and finished from the other side of the lake.

Met Lesley's mum and dad in the stands and then waited, and cheered all the finishers in. We were delighted to see Lesley finish and it was a good one too!!!

I didn't really have much time after that so we had a quick drink, well, me and G did! I know there will be more celebrating tonight, but I had to get a train back to london. Very tired but a really really nice day.

Was fun watching other people be awesome and I can't wait to go back :)