Today, Sunday 27th April 2014 I completed my first "proper" triathlon – the sprint distance Kendal Tri which involved a 400 metre pool swim, a 18K bike and a 5K run. As I am a slow swimmer I was put in the first wave therefore I had an exceptionally early swim start time of 8am! Last year I did a "time based" triathlon for newbies but this was my first time competing with the big boys and girls and I was exceptionally nervous! Yesterday I got all my gear ready and I packed what was required into the plastic box I was going to use in transition! I opted to put my stuff in a box with a lid as the forecast can be so hit and miss I didn't fancy coming out the pool to a wet towel, clothes and shoes should there be a sudden downpour! I tried to have an fairly early night and I set my alarm for 6:30am. However, a mix of nerves, a distinct lack of alcohol and my husband snoring meant I was awake more than I was asleep and I was actually thankful when my alarm went off that I could finally get up and get on with it! I was delighted when I peeked out the curtains to see clear blue skies and no rain! I headed downstairs to try and eat some breakfast and managed one Weetabix with milk, followed by a banana and a few slurps of coffee! It was soon time to go back upstairs to put my tri suit on, as well as some other clothes to keep me warm! By now I was feeling exceptionally jittery and was wondering why I was putting myself through this on a Sunday morning! I did a quick double check of my box, checked that my bike tyres had enough air in and I was good to go! As I live less than a mile to the start I decided it was easier for me to cycle there and let my husband follow in the car with THE all important box! I had to be at registration by 7.30am and on the poolside ready by 7.50am so time was tight! I arrived at registration dead on time at 7.30am! There was no queueing so I was quickly ticked off the list, given my swim lane number as well as a gym bag which contained my race number, a number for my bike, a race belt (although I already had one) and lots of literature about other races! It was now time to head to the transition area and find the correct place to rack my bike! I was bib number 11 so I had to hunt down rack number 11! Thankfully, there was a very helpful and friendly Marshall who showed me the way and advised which way to face my bike for an easy exit! (something in my highly nervous state I would never have considered!) I stuck my bike number on the stem of my bike and then battled to fix my race number to my race belt! (Note to self "bring a small hole punch to make a hole in bib first"). With the help of a Marshall carrying a penknife I managed to get it attached eventually. I was now time to head into the pool changing rooms, get undressed and have a nervous wee - not an easy thing to do when wearing a tri suit! Cap on and goggles positioned on my head - I was ready to face battle. I arrived at poolside at around 7.50am and walked into a sea of equally nervous first timers. There was a short time to chat before we had our race briefing and given our timing chip to attach to our left ankle! Everyone was very friendly and it was nice to know we were all in the same boat! We were told which lanes we were in and our position within that lane. I was to be first to go in lane 4 and then the other 3 in my lane would be set off at 5 second intervals after me. We were given our instructions to get in the water and prepare to start. The start was in the deep end of the pool, so I had to tread water whilst I positioned my goggles and checked for leakages! I clung nervously onto the side waiting for the starters whistle. 20 ........ 15 ..... 10 .... 5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... I was OFF!
I tried to remain calm and talked myself through my stroke, my position and my breathing and all felt good for the first length and a half and then the woman behind me, overtook me and then threw herself over enthusiastically into a tumble turn kicking me in the head in the process ( I think tumble-turns should be banned after this experience!) I clung to the side trying to regain my composure before setting off again but the nerves were now on high alert and I couldn't get back into my rhythm or breathing. I could feel panic setting in and I could actually envisage a full-on panic attack happening. I felt dreadful! At the end of each length I stopped and tried to steady my breathing before setting off again but the gremlin inside my head had truly taken hold and all my confidence had gone. I have never been so pleased to see my "lane counter" raise the red float that indicated to me I only had 2 lengths remaining. As I hauled myself out the pool (via the steps as I didn't have the energy to clamber out the side!) I could feel tears of disappointment welling up.
I told myself to get a grip and hoped that now I was on dry land things would get better! I have no recollection of leaving the leisure centre, running over the grass to my bike and I certainly didn't register the cold air on my wet skin as I exited into the great outdoors! I had obviously gone into my own little world determined to right the awful start! I threw my goggles and hat onto the grass, quickly towelled myself off and then put my helmet on before I forgot in the panic (didn't want disqualified before I started!). Next I put on my cycling jacket and race belt with the number on my back (Tri rules state your number needs to be on your back for the cycle and on your front for the run!) before sitting down to fight with my cycling shoes and damp feet! I was soon good to go! I ran/walked through the transition area as fast as I could push my bike and it was only once I had mounted my bike and I was hurtling down the road with the sun in my eyes that I realised with despair that my cycling glasses were still in my box! Too late, I would just have to squint! Once on my bike my confidence returned especially as I was now overtaking all the swimmers who had left me in the pool! My smile returned and I relaxed. The sun was shining, the birds were tweeting, lambs were baaing and life felt good!
I thoroughly enjoyed the cycle route even the biggish hill which had to be navigated twice once at mile 4 and then again at mile 9 (or should I say especially the big hill) as a few cyclists were actually pushing their bikes up this and I just glided past!. Approaching the leisure centre at the end of the cycle route I quickly dismounted, ran into transition, racked my bike, threw off my helmet and jacket and changed into my running shoes which was much easier now my feet had dried out!
I had a few quick slurps of my energy drink before heading off for the final leg and the one I felt most confident about - The Run. However, as I headed off I couldn't see a thing! I felt very light headed with black dots in front of my eyes! I was feeling slightly freaked out by this and was a little worried I was going to embarrass myself and pass out! To take my mind off it I started to count my strides and thankfully within a short distance it cleared and I felt "normal" again!
I'm not sure why I realised but all of a sudden after the first mile or so of the run it dawned on me that I hadn't "swivelled" my number to be at the front! Whoops, hopefully it went unnoticed!
The run felt good and apart from the hill at mile 2 that slowed me down quite significantly I felt like I had a good run.
I could feel a big smile spread across my face as I crossed the road and headed into the finishers funnel and over the timing mat!
Just over the finish line I was greeted by a friendly Marshall who rewarded me by placing my well deserved (in my opinion!) medal over my head and even bent down to remove my timing chip from my ankle! I had done it! I AM a Triathlete!
Apart from the horrendous swim experience I had a thoroughly enjoyable time! I can't wait to beat my swim demons and do it all again! So how did I get on? I managed to get within my finish goal time with faster times for everything except the swim so I am chuffed with that despite the bad start! So here's my goal times compared with what I did! 10 minute 400 Metre Swim, actual 11:54 3 minute transition, actual 2:52 54 minute 18K Cycle, actual 50:21 3 minute transition, actual 1:58 30 minute 5K run, actual 26:54 Goal Finish time: 1 hour 40 minutes actual 1:33:59
All in all a good day! A very friendly and well organised event and superb for a first timer! I would recommend it to anyone thinking about doing a triathlon!
Today, Sunday 23rd March 2014 I ran in The Lancaster and Morecambe Sport Relief 6 mile run. The run was due to start at 10.45am with a warm-up at 10.30am. When I woke up this morning I had somehow developed a heavy cold overnight and I felt lousy. I lay in bed contemplating whether I was actually going to bother getting up and going but then convinced myself I might as well as it was just a fun run with no pressure! I had a bowl of porridge and coffee and was soon feeling a little brighter - and the sun was shining! We left our home in Kendal at around 9:30am for the 30 mile journey to Salt Ayre Leisure Centre which is situated half way between Lancaster and Morecambe where the race HQ was situated. Traffic flowed nicely and we got parked really easily in the leisure centre car park arriving just after 10am for the 10.30am warm-up!
Although I already had my race number I still needed to register to say I had turned up! After registering and visiting the loo I took residency in the track club house to try and keep warm! Although it was a lovely sunny morning it was still incredibly cold and windy!
Thankfully I had dressed in long running pants, a long sleeved base layer with a vest on top and gloves! Despite it being a National charity event I was amazed at how few runners it had attracted despite it only being £3 to enter! At 10:30am prompt we were all summoned to a central point where a man fancying himself as Mr Motivator took us through a warm-up and stretch routine. There were 3 runs taking place at the same time - a 1 mile, a 3 mile and a 6 mile run basically all running the same route just a different number of times! The 1 mile group ran one and a bit times around a set course where as we ran 7 and a bit times round the same course! I was dismayed when I discovered this was actually a lap run as I usually detest this sort of thing. The run advert said "Take in the stunning views of the River Lune and the Historic City of Lancaster" so I wrongly assumed it would be a fairly interesting route! Instead it was laps of a cycle track which gave us a 100m stretch along the river with the city in the background! However, since I was there I thought I might as well make the most out of a bad situation and decided to try and use the laps to regulate my pace and see how much I could push myself for future 10K runs without expiring! Once we had warmed up the 1 mile group were led off to the start point, then the 3 mile group then finally the 6 mile group. Despite it being poorly attended there was still a fair amount of spectators giving support. We were soon on our way and 7 laps loomed large! However, once I got going and I got my head round doing laps I thoroughly enjoyed the run and liked the no pressure aspect that the "serious" races have!
During the first couple of miles there was lots of little toddlers and children taking part in the 1 mile event which made me smile to see them having fun running and also a fair few wheelchair participants who were being pushed by runners! Hats off to the runners I wouldn't fancy running with a wheelchair for 6 miles! I completed the first mile in an 8:11 minute mile and vowed to try and maintain this pace throughout if possible. The 2nd mile was slightly slower at 8:15, then 8:22, 8:23, 8:28 and the last mile was also 8:28 giving me a finish time for the 6 miles of 49 minutes 13 seconds working out as an average 8:20 minute mile pace! I was disappointed that this wasn't in fact a 10K race as I would have got a PB by a couple minutes at around 51:46! Anyhow, as this was my first 6 mile race I still got a PB! I was still chuffed to bits with my achievement and was one of the first of the 6 milers to finish!
On finishing I got a bottle of water and 2 medals! One for myself and one for my running buddy Haddie! All in all a really enjoyable experience and it goes to show just relaxing and running as your body dictates really works! I would never have dared push like I did today in a "proper" race in case I couldn't finish but today I didn't feel it mattered if that happened! Thankfully it didn't happen!
On Sunday the 16th February 2014 I ran in the Barcelona Half Marathon and had an absolutely fantastic experience! I was travelling with my friend Sue and straight after work on Friday evening we headed to the Premier Inn at Liverpool Airport for an overnight stay before our early morning flight! We flew with Easy jet and left Liverpool Airport at 7.10am arriving into Barcelona at 10.25am local time. Due to a tad too much wine the night before we both slept for the entire flight and were feeling slightly more refreshed on arrival. We got the airport bus into the city centre and managed to locate our hotel relatively easily. After checking in we went off to the Expo Centre to collect our race numbers, T Shirts and timing chips! We got a goody bag filled mainly with leaflets and an energy gel but we also got 3 bottles of coconut water!
All this was totally stress free and off we then went to investigate where the start and finish of the race was before doing some sight-seeing.
On Saturday we resisted the Sangria (actually we resisted all alcohol) carbed up with Pasta and Pizza and had an early night! The day of the race soon dawned, and I had had a surprisingly good night sleep despite the nerves! We had taken instant porridge pots with us for breakfast which due to nerves didn't go down too well. We left the hotel at around 7.30am and travelled the 15 minutes on the underground to the start line.
Thankfully the weather forecast was wrong! We had been promised heavy rain and we were delighted to see blue skies instead!
We queued up for the portaloos for our nervous wee. Surprisingly there were only 8 loo's for 15,000 runners so we had a bit of a wait! We went straight from this queue to another to drop our bags off and then it was time to head to the pens at the start line. We arrived in the pen at around 8.35am for the 8.45am start! The atmosphere was fantastic! We were at the very front of our pen and nervously waited for the faster zones to set off! Whilst we were waiting they played the song "Barcelona" by Freddie Mercury which sent shivers of anticipation through me! After the 4 faster zones had set off it was our turn! They removed the security ribbon and walked us down to the start. Being at the front of the pen made me feel like an Olympic athlete with all the crowds clapping and cheering us on! Sue and I had agreed to run together so I was very anxious about losing her in all the hustle and bustle as we crossed the starting line. I was determined to get a PB at this race and Sue was determined to help me achieve this dream! Sue is a faster runner than me and was happy to pace me. Thankfully I kept her in my sight until it all calmed down, everyone spaced out and then I was able to run alongside her. I was slightly concerned that I would go out to hard and then crash but I was willing to risk it to see how far I could push myself! I kept the thought of my "I run 4" buddy Haddie encouraging me firmly in my mind! I could do this for her as she works so hard on a daily basis! I was wearing my Garmin watch but had promised Sue I would not to look at it during the race as this always affects me mentally! When I see a fast pace on my watch I instantly panic and think "OMG I can't run at this pace" suddenly feel tired and slow down!
I was putting all my faith in Sue to get me over the finish line in a sub 1.57.54 minute time! Initially I found it difficult not to have a little peek but after about 4 miles I really didn't want to know what pace I was doing! This was my 10th Half Marathon but it was my first one abroad and my first one marked out in kilometres instead of miles. This seemed to make the distance go quicker as we seem to very quickly come across the next kilometre marker point! Sue kept checking my well-being with the words "Comfortable or uncomfortable?" when I answered "comfortable" she replied "we can go faster then!". There was a water and energy drinks station at 5k where we slowed to collect a bottle of water. By the time we passed the 10K timing mat the sun had come out and the day was starting to warm up. There was lots of encouragement from the crowds at this point too and another water station. I took this opportunity to consume an energy gel and prayed this extra fuel would get me through to the finish! We had been told by several people that the first half of the race was hilly so I said to Sue "have we done the hills now?" and she replied "I think so!" As far as we were concerned it had been relatively flat! That's one advantage of living in a hilly area - very few places have hills like us! Our pace for the first 6 miles went like this: 8:20, 8:26, 8:22, 8:42, 8:04, 8:37! Thankfully I was blissfully unaware of doing a 8:04 minute mile as this might have been enough to finish me off! I was impressed with how all the runners must have predicted correct finishing times as we didn't have the usual dodge people who are walking problem! The pace for the next 3 miles went like this: 9:05, 8:55, 9:00 minute miles. Anyhow all was going well up til this point and I was still keeping alongside Sue when she announced that she was desperate for the loo. My initial thoughts were "Don't leave me" as she said she was going speed up to go to the loo's at the 15K point and made me promise not to slow down and she would catch me back up! I waved her off as she disappeared into the distance leaving me alone! At this point I could have looked at my Garmin as no one would know, but by now I was too scared to look! I passed the loo's keeping an eye out for Sue but couldn't see her. She had told me to keep to the right hand side so she could find me but unfortunately that was the end of us running together! My first mile alone was my slowest! I did a 9:14 min mile pace but had a severe word with myself when I realised I was slowing! I remained optimistic that Sue would reappear and kept my eyes peeled in case she tried to sneak past me! Whilst running along the seafront the sun became really hot and I started to feel like I was overheating! I tried to stay focused and keep the pace up and not panic! I thought of Haddie and smiled to myself at the thought of her big smile! I managed mile 11 in 8:56, mile 12 in 9:05 and mile 13 in 9:00. Heading towards the final straight I was very confused! There was lots of blow-up "arches" going over the road in the distance but which one was the finish?! The one I thought was the finish turned out to be the 20K marker point which meant I still had 1K to go! By now the crowds were getting denser and the cheering was getting louder so I tried to make it look easy as I "sprinted" to the finish! I heard the "Beep" of the final timing mat and at last I got to look at my Garmin! I could have cried when I saw 1:55:27 - had done it! I passed through the finish collected a bottle of water and a banana and was presented with my medal! I loved the way it was actually hung round my neck rather than just given to me in a bag! I felt very honoured and proud!
I decided this was the best place to try and find Sue so hung around and about 45 seconds later we were reunited! Big hugs ensued when she realised I hadn't blown it on my own and I had achieved my goal! However ... If she had a better bladder what would I have got?!!! One bonus to her having a weak bladder - I BEAT HER!!!
We were very good at this point and did some stretches before heading to collect our bags and then went for a free massage! I had a lovely although ever so slightly painful leg massage from a nice looking young Spaniard! Afterwards we headed back to the hotel showered and got dressed up before hitting the town at 3pm for food and Sangri ... and I will leave the story there!!! The official results came through and had me 3 seconds faster than my Garmin at 1:55:24!
All in all a fantastic City, fantastic people, a fantastic experience, and a fantastic race!! You can see the route and my Garmin stats here. This was my 3rd race for Haddie and my second PB! She must have a very positive effect on my running! Thank you Haddie for supporting me every step of the way!
Today, Saturday 7th June 2014 I ran in The Grasmere Gallop 10K trail race. The forecast for today was horrendous with heavy rain and thunderstorms predicted. When I woke up at 7:30am I lay in bed straining my ears for the sound of rain pelting the window! Thankfully, all was blissfully quiet so I got up and dared to peek out! Relief flooded my body when I was greeted by a bright sunnyish morning. I got dressed in my running gear, ate my porridge and had a coffee before setting off on the 17 mile journey from my home town of Kendal to Grasmere.
I picked my friend Julia up at 9.15am, who was running the longer 17K route. We had set off early expecting to hit traffic delays on the usually congested Lake District roads! Surprisingly, the traffic was light (everyone must have been avoiding the lakes due to the weather forecast!) and we arrived at about 9.50am exceptionally early for the 11am start! We were directed into a field to park, and it was free! In my experience this is unusual as they normally take advantage when they have a captive audience!
We went to collect our race numbers from the race HQ which was situated in a marquee and was exceptionally well organised! On exiting the marquee we bumped into a running friend! A quick chat and photo session occurred before we headed back to wait in the warmth of the car! By now a mass of black clouds were speedily moving across the sky and it didn't look very promising!
We had been given instructions to meet at the "muster point" on the playing fields at 10.45am. By 10.40am the heavens had opened and the rain was bouncing off the car! We groaned when we realised the time had come when we were going have to brave the elements. I got out the car with my running rain jacket on, but soon changed my mind when I realised that despite the rain it was fairly warm! With the jacket off we set off towards the designated muster point, where we managed to shelter under a tree! There were 4 races - a 5K, 10K and 17K run plus a Nordic walking 10K! The race director commented that this was the first year that the sun hadn't shone for this race! Typical it should decide to rain for my first time! After a safety talk we were walked through the village to the start line led by a lone piper! Despite the rain there were still spectators clapping us through! At 11am we joined in with a countdown ... 10 ...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1 and we were finally on our way in the rain which was still teeming down! All 250 participants in the 4 events were set off at the same time, and as this wasn't a chipped event there was a bit of pushing and shoving with people trying to get to the prime front position!
Whatever the distance all the competitors had to take on the testing climb out of Grasmere along Red Bank Road. This road twists and turns and just when I thought I was at the top another corner would reveal another climb! Eventually after this exhausting climb we turned off the road onto a trail through Deer bolt woods. At this point the 5K race took a left turn to return to Grasmere! After following the trail through the woods we had a further climb onto Loughrigg Terrace and over the shoulder of Loughrigg. By now the trails were extremely rough and rocky but had fabulous views over the lake. Its a pity I was too busy concentrating due to the trickiness of the terrain to fully appreciate it! The rain was making the rocks slippy and large puddles were forming on the uneven ground! Thankfully I had opted to wear to my waterproof Inov-8's at the last minute so despite the rain and puddles my feet were still dry and comfortable! The path passed the famous Rydal cave before plunging down a treacherous shale steep hill which had some sharp bends. The loose rubble underfoot made me very nervous and I didn't dare go too fast in case I came a cropper! (Rydal Cave is situated on Loughrigg Fell and is actually a man-made cavern, which was formerly known as Loughrigg Quarry. Over two hundred years ago, Rydal Cave was a busy working quarry supplying excellent quality roofing slate to the surrounding local villages)
The 17k and 10k routes split at this point, with the 10K route turning back along the shorelines of Rydal Water and Grasmere heading towards Grasmere village. Thankfully there was a marshall making sure that everybody followed the correct route! I would have hated to have gone the wrong way and end up doing 17K instead!
I happily made my way along the shores of Rydal and by now although the path was still rough and very puddley it didn't seem quite as treacherous and my confidence and some speed returned. I even dared to occasionally peek at the views which were magnificent even on such a rainy day! The path went right down to the lakeshore and there was even a calf deep plunge through the lake itself! I thoroughly enjoyed splosh splashing my way through the water - I was already soaking wet so it really didn't matter! Strangely my trainers didn't feel heavy or uncomfortable after this! There was then a short stretch along a good trail before we were greeted by another steep climb! This led back into the woods and back onto Red Bank Road. Thankfully this time I was running down it! Back on the safety of tarmac I felt able to push the pace a bit and dug deep to get to the finish line as quick as I could! The final stretch along the gravel track on the outskirts of the car parking field seemed to be endless! I was delighted when the big finishing arch was in my sight!
It was still raining as I crossed the line but I can honestly say I hardly noticed it during the race! I think my mind must have been worrying about other things! As I crossed the line a lady zapped the barcode on my race number which I assume will give me my official time! I stopped my Garmin and was chuffed to see that I had managed to get a sub 1 hour coming in at 58:28! I now need to wait for my official time to be confirmed! On entering the finishers tent I was presented with a medal and had the choice of several different sorts of cake and juice! Bling and CAKE - life doesn't get much better than this!
I clapped a number of runners over the finish line before I started to feel cold so made my way back to the car where I stripped off totally and got some dry clothes on! I was wet through to my knickers! I waited in the car for Julia to complete her 17k race before heading off home. I felt rather anxious about actually getting the car out of the now sodden field, but was pleasantly surprised to find that I had no problem at all! The drive home was awful with many of the minor roads now flooded! Thankfully the thunder and lightening forecast didn't materialise!
Despite the awful weather I thoroughly enjoyed this race! It was well organised by the National Trust and everything ran like clockwork! There was water stations at around the 2 mile and 4 mile mark, which was served in plastic cups. This was sufficient for today's conditions but I think if it had been a warmer day I might have struggled with hydration! I enjoyed it so much that next year I am planning to run the longer 17K route! I would recommend anyone contemplating this race to DO IT! Hopefully we will be honoured with better weather! You can view the route here! The official time has just been announced and I finished in 58:48 which is slightly slower than my Garmin showed! However still very pleased with it as I was 8th in my age category, 28th female and 92nd overall out of 260 finishers! You can view the full results HERE!
I ran/walked through the transition area as fast as I could push my bike and it was only once I had mounted my bike and I was hurtling down the road with the sun in my eyes that I realised with despair that my cycling glasses were still in my box!
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I had done it! 
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