A little less conversation......

Well I had to do it didn't I :)

Today was the last race in the Elvis (east london inter club 5 s) or something like that. A series of 7 races over the summer of 5k or 5 miles where the first 6 men or 4 ladies counted for scoring having to include at least one vet. ( veteran although they may have been some animal vets running I don't know).

This year having retired from going long I set myself the aim of doing them all. I've been a member of Dagenham 88 runners since 2004 and have seen it grow into a vibrant club with some good runners and although getting to training sessions is a rare thing for me I still want to feel a part of it, and this is a good way.

The first race was Eton Manor 5k. It wasn't that good for me. 24.42 I think but I counted and that was important. The next 4 were 5 milers :-

Havering 5 mile
Dagenham 5 ish
Ilford hilly 5
Orion 5

I didn't distinguish myself at any but because our best female vet has been out all season I was 2nd counter and 1st vet for the first 3, and then with some form returning 1st counter and vet for the last one.

Then was barking 5k on BH Monday . I had a blinder here, smashed my 5k PB to finish as 9th lady and 1st counter again in 22.16.

I was happy with that :)

Today was the last race the valentines park 5k. To ensure I was still able to run after last weeks adventures you remember the unsceduled 20 miler then 4 bloody days of stomach cramp :-/ I did parkrun yesterday.

And did 22.04. Oh, ok then I can actually still run.

Spent the night wondering if I should have done that, but apart from having a cold and being a bit snotty I seemed ok. I was still very nervous this morning.

I stuck myself at the front at the start, see I don't mind doing that if I think I can justify it :) and went off quick, basically racing to put myself in front of any other females I could.

Within a k there were 2 in front that I could see. Both ilford ladies, both of whom I had never beaten. One started to run away but I was keeping with the other, ok AJ just keep with her.

And I did! Until about three quarters of the way when I could hear her breathing getting quite laboured. I still felt marginally alive so I pushed and passed. I was amazed and sure she would come back, but she didn't. A couple of blokes from my club passed me in the last 500 m or so but no women..... Blimey!

So I crossed the line 22.05. Proving to myself finally that the 22.01 I did a few weeks ago is not a fluke.

I asked Mr H how many women were in front of me but he had been getting me a cup of tea ( :-)) so missed me finishing, so I thought no more about it and went home.

And then got a tweet from Jen telling me that I was second lady and won £25. Not a bad weekends running then!

Bring me a 10 k now please. I like the pain :-D

This is gonna be easy!!!!!

That's what I thought.

But let me explain a bit. In February I entered the JW Ultra. Not unusual, this would be the 5th year I had entered it and I do believe I have blogged previously about how much I love this race. It's like meeting all your mates for a social weekend and having a bit of a run in the middle.

A couple of months later Matt put forward the idea of a relay, he wasn't into mara running this year and I will admit I thought about it, but then decided nope, I'm gonna do the ultra, I always do the ultra. And I wanted to do it sub 4.30, not a time that would win any prizes but a time I have always considered decent for that course.

Move forward a few months, I 'm running the worst I have ever run, I have pulled out of any long races I had planned and could quite frankly give up running completely. So thankfully I found out the cause, but the build back up was not going to see me run any great distances before september, so dilemma time. Do I run the whole thing and hate myself for not doing it well?

Or,

Do I step in to Matt's relay team who are now a member down and go for a fast 10 miles given that my short speed has increased quite dramatically.

Not really difficult to see what to do is it!

So I stepped into be a part of team Mad and Madder. (Which actually is just bloody right really, anyone who saw us Saturday night will agree.......though maybe twat and twatted would be better).

Here was the plan, I would do first leg because I love the start and racing people at it, I've done lots of races lately and the buzz at the start does it for me (I'm funny like that, I really enjoyed my typing exam because of the time pressure and the adrenaline that made your hands shake). Then Matt would take over for the middle leg as he's used to running on his own and would do well here, then Kate for last leg cos she would chase anybody down she saw and is quickest.

Brilliant!!!

Sadly Matt injured himself on holiday so decided about 10 days before to pull out. Not good but there isn't much you can do about injuries. I spoke to Kate, neither of us was really up for 20 so we needed someone else. Luckily a twitter friend Sid offered and we were a full team again. I sent him the instructions and all that and he was going to meet me at cp1 on the day as he had other committments.

Day of the race dawned cold but clear, was lovely and relaxed cos me and Kate were staying at Lesleys (part of the race crew who is far too attached to excel but she is a really good hostess). We got to Stratford and I just needed a few pees behind the trees before I was ready to race, with a number belt on that I could give to Sid at changeover.

I started right near the front as I figured I needed to get a good start so as not to be caught up in the fields at the beginning. And I got a blinding one. I honestly bounced the first mile and until a bit more than 3 miles was first lady and there weren't that many men in front of me :) That was all good and I will be honest because I knew I was only running 10 miles I felt brilliant and I knew I could keep it up. I even managed a nice chat with Pete as he overtook me at about 7 miles in. I knew when I got to the aquaduct thingy that I wasn't far now (yes I did run along with my hand in it) and then when I saw Paul the photographer he told me it wasn't far, and indeed it wasn't long til I saw all the people on the bridge. I gave it an extra effort when I saw them and hoped I wasn't going to be sick. I started looking for Sid, for someone looking for me, for anyone really but the closer I got the more I realised that there was no one getting ready to tag me........ I dont think I believed it. 'wheres Sid' I asked Sharon..................she told me she didn't know what he looked like but she didn't think he was there.

Well.

I did lose it a bit. I really wanted some glass or something that I could smash (dont tell Mr but some of the kitchen stuff that has got broken, it wasn't an accident :-O ) I may have jumped up and down, I may have used words like fucking, kill, wanker, punch.......those sort of words i do so apologise (although judging by the sea cadets later they thought I was quite amusing) but while I was having this meltdown I was also realising that there was only one thing for it. I was going to have to run the next section. So I set off with steam still coming out my ears and without taking any water or fuel from the aid station. Idiot.

I have never wanted to run 10 miles less, but I think sheer anger took me the first 2 miles. Then it started to hurt, really hurt. I had given my all in the first 10 and Mark had told me before the race that if I had run the first 10 properly I shouldn't be able to run the second.(I'm wondering if he knew something here....hmmmmm?) Well I really wasn't. My pace was shocking and I was miserable. I needed water and fuel, and at 5 miles in I started walking mainly so I could cry!

I was saved by a cobra runner who gave me a sis gel and some mouthfuls of water. I hope I was gracious I am sorry if I wasn't. Anyway once I was past 6 I knew I could do it, one foot in front of the other, it will end. I have never been so glad to see cp2 in my life. I dont think I looked very happy though given that Matt didn't immediately rip the piss out of me :-D and Kate shot off like a bullet!!!

Sid arrived a little later having got very lost on his bike trying to find the checkpoint. He was very very sorry. Someone like me who is sooo bad at navigation cant really have that much of a go can they? Anyway I was too tired.

A little bit of TLC later and me and Matt travelled to the end to find Kate and find out that we were first relay team of only ladies over the line. RESULT! As we were entered as a mixed team we were not eligable for that prize however the race organisers did give us a special prize which was really lovely of them :)

Here we are being presented. I am already well on my way to being properly pissed here.

I would tell you about the rest of the evening. But I cant remember it.

Oh settle down....

Little heart of mine, oh settle down you're doing double time....

It was. On Thursday at 4.40.

On Monday I went to work knowing I had an interview on Thursday. That's good but now I was needing to prepare. I need to be up to date with the area (different to what I'm doing) and know the research areas of the principal investigators (3 of them). I need to check what I wrote in the application ..... Seems like I wrote it ages ago, and think of the answers to the questions you are always asked.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Having a job is never really acceptable. I did say retired once. I got the job :-D

What attracted you to this area? You can't say money to this one, there isn't any!

I was once asked what I would do if my toaster broke (!) it was for a technician role. My answer was that I would tell my husband we needed a new one wasn't what they wanted. I knew already I would be rubbish for the job.i did get my fare back :)

Anyway so there is that but that's fine, researching stuff is always fun. Obv I had normal work to do too but you don't need to hear about that.

Then tuesday I had a bit of good news. There's enough money left to pay me another 3 months if I want. Well I had to say yes didn't I. That took the pressure off a bit, but I still had details of 6 jobs on my desk I could apply for .

Weds I did 5 miles at mp. I averaged 8.14 per mile. Was in target. Or on, whatever.

Thursday was the day. I did my HMP effort run first thing and hit every one which was pleasing. Then I sorted out some smarter clothes to take into work for later. First thing someone said to me when I got in? 'you can't go to an interview dressed like THAT!'

Well I don't know why, I was wearing my IMUK polo shirt.....what's wrong with that eh?

I set the record straight ' of course I'm not bloody going like this, do you think I'm an idiot?'

Don't answer.

Then I spent the day convinced that I knew nothing, that getting my degree and my PhD had been a complete fluke and working a checkout would be alright really, whilst listening to people telling me I would be fine. We've been over that before haven't we.

So a small walk up the road to institute of Neurology to an interview room where almost exactly 7 years ago I sat my PhD viva. It struck me that I was loads more nervous that time and that yeah you know what I am a lot more confident now than I was then, people at work ask my opinion on stuff and come to me to learn stuff.....wow! That's quite cool isn't it. So I actually did know I would be fine. I knew that if I didn't get the job it wouldn't be anything I had done it would be because there was someone a lot better than me who perhaps had lots more relevant experience. I can only bring me to the interview and that's what they asked for.

It was a panel interview, 4 people on it, 3 scientists. One an FRS but all really nice it seemed. I answered all their questions, asked my own questions, I had a few, it's impossible not to in my sort of job and remember whilst you are speaking they can't :-D that could of course go horribly wrong but it was ok this time.

They said I would hear in a week. Ok I thought I can wait :-/ went to the pub to meet some friends but I wasn't in the mood really, just felt tired and a bit crabby!

Yesterday I spent the morning telling people how I thought it went......in this respect my work is rubbish cos everybody drifts in when they want, I needed them all in at once so I could make a general announcement!

By 11.30 I decided I needed to go out for a wander to get away. Half an hour later I got back to an email offering me the job.

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm negotiating start date and all that but I am made up, really happy. 10 days ago I was sure I hadn't been short listed now I'm going to work on the sort of project I got into science to do.

I'm a very lucky girl.

Well, I think I'm ok at what I do too.

Throw those curtains wide.....

One day like this a year will see me right.....

Yeah a day like Friday :))))

Morning was at Olympic park to see some swimming. I was really looking forward to going to the aquatics centre and yep I thought it was impressive, but I found it a bit claustrophobic. I had been to the stadium on Monday, and loved it in there..... Just me I guess.

Anyhow, we watched some great swimming, some of it that I just couldn't imagine how they did it, some of it that made me think very hard about what I have and how I should be grateful for it.

Then we came home and I did a token run for reasons I'm not sure :-D then discovered I have an interview for a job that I thought had not short listed me. Which is good obv :)

Then the best bit of the day, off to the roundhouse in Camden to watch Elbow at the iTunes festival. I'll just say it was amazing, and assisted by my friend mr lager I was able to go right to the front. I bounced home.

Saturday was a gentle jog to parkrun, I told Mr H that I didn't have a hangover but that was quite untrue, so I was very glad I decided to volunteer and not race. Though looking at first lady's time I could've had her! Damn ;-) I clocked up a few miles after sweeping up and ran home. In the afternoon I went looking for smart tops for interview.... Came home with a pair of trousers that I am going to wear on my head :D

Today then I hooked up with 3 other dag 88s to do the Orion 15 self navigated xc. £3 for a set of instructions and tea and sandwiches when you are done. Slightly different course than the winter one which is a killer but still hard enough. However, with company and sunshine the miles ticked past really pleasantly and I would happily run a self navigation with this team again. (I suppose I should point out that I was not required to navigate, therefore the whole morning was strop free)

There were no cows either. This is important to note.

So really a lovely weekend doing things I like to do.

I'm now watching the Olympics closing ceremony, and tbh I'm a bit over it all now, so I'm not watching really. Although Russell Brand has just come on. He's a wanker isn't he.

Lots of people saying what shall we do now the Olympics are over? I suggest you do what you did before when I am presuming you had a life? No?

Just me then.

I couldn't ......

and I wouldn't want to change you, don't you know I can save save you?
I'll do it it on my very own....

That's apropos of nothing, I just been listening to it :)

So what I been up to?

Well I lined up for my challenge parkrun yesterday having not run since Monday. A combination of feeling below par and thinking fuck it twice and drinking rather than training. Needing to find a new job is weighing a bit heavy right now. Everybody tells me I will be fine, but you know what? Prove it then, ha! You can't can you :-/

Anyway enough of that. I lined up thinking that last week was such an improvement that I would be really lucky to do better, but I'd try to beat V and see what happened. A young tall athletic looking girl lined up too and I said to V 'she'll win it' .... I wasn't wrong :-)

But I started well, feeling good again and tried to keep tall girl in my sights. I thought V was keeping with me but I seemed to be moving away from her so just went with it, keeping TG not too far ahead although she was moving further away, I could tell. Got to a mile .....6.45 ooh better than last week, get in! Then tried to go the wrong way :-D corrected quickly (follow the blue arrows on the floor you twat!) and started to calculate how much better was that than last week? (or more truthfully what did I have to do to beat 22.04). However despite being a mental arithmetic demon at 7, at 42 I'm a dumbass and I couldn't do. I decided to settle for trying to keep each mile split less than last week and proper welly the last 0.1.

Next mile, 7.05. Yes better.

Last mile, 7.20, better than last weeks last mile by an amazing 1 second.shit I'd better move this last bit..... And I was actually catching TG :)

Anyway, end result 22.01. 15 second PB, I beat V and 22.04. Mission accomplished :-)

Of course I'm disappointed that it wasn't sub 22, but blimey I'm a bit
shocked at my form just now so I will just be happy at what I got and work harder to get it lower.

Then today it was BRAT Olympic distance triathlon. I blogged about last years disaster where dumb, dumber and even more dumb all managed to sod up a part of it :-) all I wanted this year was to go the right way on the bike.

So a brief rundown, I didn't panic in the swim :) I went the right way on the bike, I did okaaaaay on the run which wasn't really my cup of tea, lots on grass and a slope 4 times I hated, and last year I did

3.14.43

This year

2.50.45.

Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!



And this despite my supporters completely ignoring me coming in off the bike despite me shouting at them. They waited at bike in for ages assuming I had gone wrong/had an accident ..... Thanks chaps!

So it was great to see @JWUltra (who also did it) @LJB1 who marshalled with a big flag, @madlot and @sidowski who supported (lots of other people).

Off to Paralympics tomorrow and Friday athletics first, then swimming and then Friday night I'm going to the iTunes festival to see Elbow :)

If I get an interview this week that will make it :)

That, that, that,that, that dont kill me......

can only make me stronger, I need you to hurry up now, cos I cant wait much longer....

Come on!!!!!!!! I'm waiting!!!!!!!!

I had a good run at parkrun last week didn't I, I was dead chuffed with the time and my recent improvement.

So I knew that in theory I should have a good run at the Elvis race on BH Monday, held on the same course as parkrun. With this in mind I marshalled on Saturday and had a good chat to Vicki, the race director. We had so many volunteers that she could have run if she had her gear, which led her to suggest that me and her could race it out the next week.

OK, I thought, that will be a big ask for me as I know she has just got a 22.14 PB. Thats just over 30 secs better  than my PB......... but, you know what that's no reason to shy away. A challenge after all is a challenge :)

Anyway, so I just did a really short easy to the pool and back on Sunday, as I had felt tired Saturday afternoon, and I'm lazy.

So sunday I ran there (its actually 2.3 miles so a nice warm up) and registered. Then hung about as I'd got there far too flippin early. Then got in the line up for D88 photos, then ran away when someone decided we needed more photos, this time next to our flag, then finally lined up.

Because I didn't want to get caught up I placed myself not too far from the front, chatting to Jenny who is having a bit of a mojo fail at the minute (she'll be back) and I said to her 'I will be happy you know, when I beat xxxxxx' a girl from a local club who always beats me. And with that we were off.

I'm not going to lie, I felt brilliant. The last 5k PB I got I remember that horrible feeling when I started of my legs going too fast for my body and feeling I was going to stumble.......today I just felt strong. I knew I was running fast, I had an idea it was faster than last week, I passed 2 men from my club and wondered what was going on. (one would take me back later). My garmin beeped a mile.

I looked.

6.53.

I said 'FUCK!' The man running fairly close to me moved away a bit.

I decided I mustn't look at my watch until it beeped again. I did look back as I turned a corner to check on any ladies who could beat me and score in the series. Nope all clear. The ones who were in front were a bit too far off, but I could do my best to make sure no one came past.

Mile 2 7.09. Blimey. I'm still doing ok, I'm still running quicker than I ever have. And whats more, after mile 2 in a 5k you are almost done......I chant to myself  'less than a mile, less than a mile' it keeps me entertained.

I know I need to work on keeping strong in the last half mile but I think I'm getting there, that mile was 7.23, I think, slowing yes, but my previous weeks run had an overall average of 7.31 so I wasn't unhappy.

Final time 22.16. 9th lady and a 31 second PB. and I beat xxxxxxx.

Whats more I think I really can give Vicki a run for her money :)

Now, you're at the wheel.....

Tell me how, how does it feel?

It feels bloody great, for the first time in quite a while I feel like me and my body are working together again. I'm just trying to remember what I blogged last time.........hang on..................oh yeah, I was banging on about the olympics and how good all that was.

It was rather wasn't it.

So my running, I'm still not running that much tbh, still trying to let my body build back the iron stores. Dont want it to be like baling water out of a boat with a hole in the bottom :-/

But......... I did parkrun last Saturday. I ran there, 2 miles and then did it. The field wasn't big, I didn't recognise any of the ladies in it, but two of them went quite near the front for the start so I thought that they must be my competition.

Do I sound like a twat when I say that? It isn't like I am quick or owt, but I do take racing stuff pretty seriously :)

Anyway, set off quick as ever, and within 500m was ahead of both those ladies and just behind the leading men. I felt ok. Actually I felt quite good, so I thought ok I'll keep this up. I ran round the corner to the lake and checked behind me, no I'm not losing any ground, I appear to be gaining.......ok keep it up.

And basically I did, I didn't run out of gas which has been happening recently, It was bloody hot but tbh I think that suits me. Once I had a k to go I knew I was going to maintain first lady and that it was going to be sub 24, I knew this cos I felt good.

23.23. Delighted. I think I have only run faster than this once in a recorded 5k. I went 23 something at serpie last Friday of the month 5k back in 2004 and 22.47 at 2010 barking park 5k. Everything else has been 24+.

And just to prove that maintaining that average was not a fluke I did a mile rep session this am. 1m easy 1m hm pace 1m easy 1m hm pace 1m easy 1m hm pace 1m easy. Now projected (god only knows when) hm pace is 7.37. Today I hit 7.31, 7.19, 7.34. I am confident that I am gradually learning how to put these together. I guess I need a 10k soon. I do have a 5k on bh Monday. We will see how that goes.

I am also sorting out my diet with a bit of help from a nutritionist that I have got to know via twitter. I guess that my best mara time came when I was about 9 and a half stone. I am 10 stone 5 at the minute. Now this for my height is not overweight (well BMI is fine but thats a bit of a shite indicator of health as we know) but I know I would be a better runner if I could just get rid of any excess.And with the food plans I have had so far I think this will be entirely possible. It is taking me a while to get my head round having more food in the house than just apples bananas and bread, and I will admit that having someone tell me what to eat makes me want to throw my knife and fork on the floor, cross my arms, stamp my foot and say 'well I wont eat anything then' but thinking more about what I eat is definitely going to be good for me.

It says on Sunday have a small choc bar such as a flake. Bless him, Mr H saw this or heard me say it, so he got me a flake. 'when are you going to eat that?' he asks 'oh I dont think its on the plan til Sunday' I reply. 'oh right,' he says 'well maybe I'll just have to eat that one now and get you another for sunday' :-D

In other news, I am really really looking for a job now. I have got everything I can out of this job so my contract ending is not a bad thing. Unless it ends before I have more paid employment. Then it becomes a VERY VERY BAD THING.

And I almost forgot...............went to the V Festival at the weekend. Says it all really doesnt it. Yeah it was ok. No great shakes.