Autumn Ram Run 2015 (Photo entry)

24km OCR completed Sunday 4th October 2015. Crazy event made even more excellent by the incredible marshals and photographers. Thank you to everyone involved, I can't wait for the next one.

15km / 9.32 mi New PB Distance.

As I'm currently in training for my very first half marathon I thought it best to push past my normal 10km distance. From what I understand it's best not to trial run the full distance of which you will be racing as the recovery time is too long. Instead, it's recommended that for every mile you run you should allow a day's rest, so a better option would be for me increase my mileage slowly each week. I'm hoping to complete 16km before The Great Birmingham Run (21ishkm) on October 18.

On Monday I went out with a plan to run at least 10km. I normally like to set a clearer target than that but I really just wanted to see how far my legs would let me go. The first kilometre is a steady incline towards the high street. From then on it's pretty much downhill until I begin the next lap. The route is all road and fairly quiet (aside from the small portion which is ran through town) so there's plenty of opportunity to pick up the pace if required.

I set out at 6.48pm in reflective clothing, complete with my Garmin Forerunner 220 and a bottle of Lucozade which I'm currently training with. The first 5km felt unusually sluggish - probably due to the change in sports drink and a high-protein dinner. Not my best idea, admittedly. I started to feel myself after the first lap, and found it useful to remember my ABC's - Attitude, Breathing, Cadence. After the second lap I'd established a comfortable pace to maintain and started to focus on my technique.

Towards the end of lap four I felt my left knee starting to twinge, and at that point it was already pitch black on some of the more rural roads. I feel like I probably could have continued, but in terms of recovery it wouldn't have been worth it. I completed exactly 15km in 1:28:11 which makes the distance a new PB, and means I can maintain my 10km pace which is fantastic news. I'm still recovering at the moment so no long distance runs for me until next week, but I have speed work training tonight at my running club, and an OCR on Sunday to help keep my strength and stamina up.

Upcoming races: 

• Ram Run, Sunday 4th October 2015 
• Morrison's Great Birmingham Run, 18th October 2015

Worcester City 10KM (20th Sept '15)

Officially my second ever race. I signed up rather last minute to this 10km as I unexpectedly came into some money. I left myself just two weeks to train but thankfully the distance isn't foreign to me. I run weekly with the Malvern Joggers and we average between 7km-10km depending on the terrain and weather. This race was more a chance for me to beat my pb and use it as a way of training for an upcoming half-marathon.

The route.

My fiance (who also participated) and I arrived at Worcester Racecourse an hour before the race to check our bags, find the toilets, and warm up. We recognised a few faces as we wandered around, including local legend Jenny Nesbitt. At around 8.55 we made our way to the start line and I managed to bump into a friend from my running club. Some friends of ours also found us and wished us luck before we set off. Knowing they were there supporting us really helped fuel the adrenaline! The claxon sounded and as we crossed the line I set my watch (Garmin Forerunner 220) to track my time, distance, and pace.

Moving off from the start line was slow at first as obviously there were a ton of people, but after the first bend everybody seemed to fan out, some even taking to the pavement to get clear of the crowd. After the first km my body started to relax and I managed to maintain a steady pace dipping between 8.15 and 8.55 per mile. I didn't really pay much attention to my surroundings, and I only spotted two of the 10 kilometre marks as I was focusing much more heavily on the stats my watch provided. A water station was situated at the 6km mark so once I passed that I knew I was well over half way. It was at that point that I knew for sure I'd finish the race in under an hour. The 8km mark was where it started to become difficult. The sun had just started to break through the clouds and as my body got hotter it only felt heavier. I let the cheers from the supporters on the sidelines carry me through until I heard my own friends screaming my name. From there I found the finish line and let my limbs take over for a sprint that allowed me to cross the line with a time of 52:17, my new pb!

Every bit of the race was phenomenal, and really set the bar for me. I have no doubt I'll be signing up for this event again next year, hopefully smashing this year's time. Thank you to everyone involved in organising the Worcester City 10km, and congratulations to everyone who participated.

Almost 10km

7.87km - 48.45

I've been really trying to push myself recently and 10km has been a consistent goal of mine. I hope to one day make it comfortably to the end so that I can work towards achieving a half marathon. Each time I go out I have a distance in mind that I'm aiming for, and today was much the same. I ran a route recommended to me by my fiancé which is pretty much flat road. I ran 7km without having to slow or even stop, but as soon as I did I just couldn't carry on. 

The run itself was fantastic as I maintained speed throughout. I also smashed my fastest 5km clocking it in at 28.35. I did however have to cut my run short through sheer body exhaustion so for that I'm gutted. Next time I hope to actually complete 10km regardless of time. 

18 Minutes

      2.94k - 18:31

A quick one this morning after the school run just to keep me on my toes. Nothing too heavy today as I have my mum visiting.

11km - Running Errands

11.5k - 1:31:24

On Wednesdays I usually run the intermediate group with the Malvern Joggers. Typically we cover around 8k of hilly terrain. Tonight however, I'll be unable to join them as mummy duties take priority. I'm watching my eldest participate in a catwalk fashion show for George at Asda. Exciting stuff! In order not to mess with my schedule I went out this morning after the school drop. I was quite literally running errands as I had to shoot up to the retail park to buy shoes for the fashion show - not for me, for my daughter. Anyway, I decided to incorporate said shoe dash into my run, and paced my way up to the shops and back.

Typically I can achieve a much better time than logged today, but part of my journey was spent shopping so I'm not entirely sure if this 11k actually counts. My next goal is to complete 10k at a consistent pace so that I can start working towards a half marathon.

Mud Runner:Oblivion 2015

A gruelling 10k of sloshy mud, grimy water, cross country running and army-style assault courses made to test the mental and physical strengths of the brave. I wouldn't exactly consider myself brave though, rather insanely competitive with myself. I signed up with a blood thirsty lust for the beating in my chest and the ache in my limbs. It's a feeling I've always enjoyed from a very young age. Despite my passion though, this was the first ever event run I've participated in. I'd been thinking about Mud Runner for over a year before I actually decided I was going to go for it, and it was my fiance who actually signed us up in the end. 

Our run was just after lunchtime on 28th June and the race was held at Eastnor Castle in the West Midlands near to where my fiance and I live. Neither of us had ever even been to an event like this before let alone actually been a part of it, so we lingered around for a good hour before we made our way to the start line. 

Initially I had hoped that I could complete the course within an hour, but I think it was around 2k in that I realised that was absolutely not going to happen. On a good day I can run 5k in around 30 minutes, but this was obviously a lot tougher. I definitely underestimated the course. The obstacles, the distance, the inclines, and the mud - oh the mud - made this one of the most physically challenging things I've ever done. I would say that the toughest part was definitely trying not to slip on the downhill slopes. After a good few hundred people have slapped their drenched shoes down into the mud it does tend to become a little unpredictable. There were moments I lost my footing, and I came down hard quite a few times. At one point I instinctively reached out for something to grab only to find that the nearest thing was a large bush of nettles. I also suffered a minor (but majorly inconvenient) injury to my knee at around the 3k mark after taking a fall onto the sharp side of a large rock. I hadn't seen it hiding under the surface of the water-filled pit! My fiance also took a nasty tumble causing harm to the outer sides of his right calf, hip, and arm. Thankfully we were there for each other to offer support and encouragement, but to be honest our injuries didn't get us down. We were having the absolute time of our lives out there. 

We continued on despite our setbacks to face fences to climb, logs and nettings to slide under, monkey bars to swim, ropes to climb, and lakes to wade through. By the end of it we were completely soaked through. We finally crossed the finish line with a time of  2 hours 4 minutes and 15 seconds - a time we are ecstatic with but hope to beat. We hear the fastest runner clocked in at just 55 minutes, but we're not masochists. 

We'll both be signing up for the next event, but I'm also aiming for Wolf Run this summer too. This course was everything I'd dreamed it would be, and I can't wait to get involved in many more of the like. Thank you to my wonderful fiance who pushed me to chase after this!