Runners United: Where we support each other through the good runs, the bad runs and everything in between.

Actually now I've sat at a calculator with my splits (saddo) I realise me 10-15K was actually a minute slower than 0 - 5K.

Isn't it localish for you debi - tbh, whilst we'd booked a hotel (which dh's clients will now pay for) it was so easy to get the train from basingstoke that we should have planned to do this all along. I did say to DH that the parking looked easy to but on the FB pages it looks like people took hours and hours to get away. but the park and ride would have worked quite well I think.

And yes bumply - I am so pleased you all bolstered me up. I thought of you all on the way round.

Great race report. Oddly you've made me tell dh I fancy it for next year!

try again!

Well done you!

That is bloody brilliant wheely! Proud of you after your DHgoingtowork fiasco.

Sorry to be so absent. Life is ridiculously complicated. Spent the weekend packing up the house we rent in the New Forest as the tenancy ends tomorrow. Sitting amongst loads of rubbish at home in London wondering what to do with all of it?

Anyway, my San Fran trip was a mixed bag. Here is part of the story which also includes an option for me to home school the DCs for the rest of the school year as the schools of choice are not able to accommodate any of the kids until September. How I wish I could stay here in the UK for the next two terms as life would be so much simpler then! But DH wants us all there and the cost of running our home here while he is there is too high he tells me... .

Welcome to new people. Apologies for the self-indulgent post. Mind full of anxiety.

Grrr, wrote big post and it vanished.

ani I'm confused! Where do you live? The only MK I know about is Milton Keynes and I don't think there's any fells there.

wheely well done again. Glad your bag was ok.

m&m gutted for you. Is it normal for you to get the, ahem, runs, when you get your period?

Welcome to new/returned people.

Sports Direct have armbands with LEDs. Aldi had some a couple of weeks ago but I stupidly didn't buy them and then they had none then next time I went in. I did get one from Tesco though.
I wouldn't fancy running with a head torch though. I find it's not that I can't see but that I can't be seen. A lot of the streets round here are lacking in streetllights.

So...finally home and filing my race report. THanks for all your kind words and helping me through the histrionics yesterday.

So, after yesterday's hysteria, I had a good night's sleep (thank you dd2 !) and woke up about 6.15, dressed, porridged, timing chip and number on. Then DH drove me to the station - was a bit weepy saying goodbye () but train arrived and got on with it. Bizarre momemnt where a fellow runner got on and ate her muesli on the train because she had to have it x hours before hand. Got to Portsmouth, desperate for wee, everyone at station ignoring the 20p sign and shimmying under the barrier.

Followed the steady stream of runners to the start zone, dropped my poor defenceless bag in the baggage room, went to the loo, got some water and joined the loo queue again. Once that was done found my way to my pen and managed to get nearish the front. Actually at this point it was quite nice to beon my own, I could do my own thing without thinking (and talking to ) anyone else. It was pretty cold. Bit of garmin talk with fellow runners -admiration of my new addition. Start was slightly odd - elite women went off and then a bit of a break and then they started the elite men which was actually the whole start and even though I was quite near the front I didn't quite realise but luckily realised in time to start precious new garmin.

Eventless first couple of miles - Royal marines played at the Victory which was quite fab (love the Victory - my saddo historian side). Then 3-5 felt pretty good, managed to keep myself not running too fast. Water station at 3 and a bit miles where I was appalled at the behaviour of fellow runners who were dumping caps and bottles right in the middle of the road for everyone to run over. Doesn't take much to lob it to the side. Had a gel at 5 miles.

At 6 miles and 10K felt pretty happy - there was a run through shower which was pretty cool... actually v. cold but I was quite hot at that point. Missed out the powerade station as never had it before so thought it best not.

Sometime after 10K I Had a crisis of confidence and felt a bit rubbish - mentally mainly. Running through Southsea there were lots of encouraging people, locals with buckets of jelly babies etc.

At 8 miles the route turned along the coast road and everyone had warned about the last 2 miles due to the winds coming off the coast. Even as a once hardened coastal lass it was pretty grim - strong winds and either rain or spray.

By this time, needed the loo and pelvic floor not behaving terribly well.

Then the Bupa Boost Zone at just under the 9 mile mark - jelly babies, music and other stuff I think. They announced Sally Gunnell was just running through it at the same time.

Then the longest mile of my life. Feeling v. negative but just kept telling myself to keep putting one foot in front of the other, got to the 15K marker so knew only 1Km to go... 800m mark... wanted to walk (I think only psychologically) then at some point someone suddenly shouted 'Come on Wheelybug' (obv my RL name - which was pre-printed on race numnber) and it made me smile but I must have been showing what I felt.. 600 mark still felt pretty bad.. then 400m and could then picture a race track. Then teh 200 m mark and then I could see the finish - except it looked a bit closer than 200 m so I wasn't sure if it was... then I realised it was and managed to pick up the pace and not quite sprint for the line but at least get faster.

Over the line at 1 hr 23 mins 36 secs (Sally Gunnell beat me by 40 secs). Managed to make it over the line before retching (twice). Pathetically let someone remove my timing chip because I couldn't face doing it. Then goody bag. Into the loo then off to get my bag - which stood up to the wait, I think thankfully because it was near a security lady. I reckon she kept all those other bags in check. Straight into the strangley empty ladies to change. Forgot to stretch (do it religiously after every run but always forget after races), v. stiff now.

Back to the station - the 1.6 miles felt a loooong way. Costa shut but got the train easily and got a coffee on board as I'd started to get shivery.

MIL picked me up from the station - with dd2 (aged 2) unstrapped in the car because she hadn't been able to work out the straps..... quite a mar on the day at her sheer stupidity. I'd been saying I'd get a cab to save her coming out with the dds but she'd insisted. She;d tried to ring me once but I'd had no signal. And she wonders why I don't like leaving them with her.

Had to wait for DH to get back to MILs then home.

Some stats -

Came 3229th (out of approx 24000), 597th in age group, 485th woman.

Splits -

5K - 25.45
10K - 51.18
15K - 1.17.52

Which actually suggests my 10-15K wasn't as bad as I thought. Think it was a bit erratic so evened out ok.

Fairly pleased with time. Had originally wanted to do 1.20 but due to ankle sprain hadn't done any speed/hill work since mid August so I think I did fine.

Goody bag a bit disapponting - nice medal, crappy t-shirt, couple of cereal bars, powerade, water, a strepsil and some roibos tea bags (am a roisbos drinker so that's good), and some muscle rub stuff. Oh and tooth paste and deodorant.

In that last mile I was thinking 'I am NEVER racing again'. Of course, now I'm planning my training strategy for next time (who likened it to childbirth - you're not wrong).

If you've made it this far well done ! Thank you all for all your support.

Ani, I used to live in Hayfield. Much as I like living in Edinburgh now I think Hayfield is somewhere I'd like to go back to. I used to walk up and down Kinder Scout/ Jacobs Ladder every weekend back in my fit days.

Suffering from yet another cold so not been out this weekend, which was a shame as it was sunny.

Well done wheely. Are you glad we persuaded you to stick to your plans?

Hat the moon wasn't kind to you either - it was only a sliver of a crescent this evening. And yes you were v. brave! I've yet to wear my head torchy thing for a run - and that's even on a flat surface.

You brave woman Hat

well done wheely - great time - hope you're pleased.

just been for my first head torch run in the dark. can't say I liked it. I ran along a track known as Black Harry's track - Black Harry was a highwayman, and legend has it he still frequents the area (I don't, for one second believe such bunkum but the area does has a certain lonely, eerie feel to it - even in the day.) then in the woods the owls were hooting (what did I expect? and why does that put me on edge? they're birds ffs) and I could see a lot less than I had expected - I could see the ground infront of me but not the path up ahead iyswim. and when I needed to cross an open hillside with no marked path I couldn't see the gate I needed to head for, which wasn't great. Big Dog looked like he belonged to Satan himself - the head torch picks up his eyes hideously - and they glow bright orange back at me. But I reasoned that should I bump into Black Harry or characters from the Blairwitch Project Big Dog would scare them off. Off to have a nice soak in the bath.

With all this excitement of people near me I forgot to congratulate wheely, sorry I intended to then got carried away typing. Thats an amazing time well done.
June complete madness. Can you imagine the kids faces if I just abandoned them in the car in the middle of now where to run up a hill. Then I would of knocked myself out [as no runing bra on] and they would of been none the wiser in the car alone

just been into Glossop now - realised the loooong upward road to hayfield is beside the running club meet point......

I saw a street with I think had the biggest hill I had very seen. I was tempted to get out of my car and run up it Orange you nutter [hgrin]. (not just me with crazy urges then LOL)

WHEELY well done to you. Amazing time! How is your bag? Hope no one picked on it?.....

master how crap you got your period and the runners trots. Nightmare. But, put it down to experience and look forward to the next one hey? Glass of wine?

Rest day for me today. Pasta bake in the oven, veg roasting beautifully and Halloween mixed spice cookies cooling on the rack

Think that might be a bit too soon for me too. Will let you know IF I see aything else local

there's a little huddled of us up here, isn't there? There IS a Stockport 10 miler mid-December, but I think that's a bit too soon for me. Long road hills - there is one that runs from Glossop up to Hadfield, and the road from Gloss to ani's Hayfield just goes on and on and on.......

You in Glossop Pan? Im not far from you. In cheadle Hulme. Infact was in Glossop the other day visiting a friend when I saw a street with I think had the biggest hill I had very seen. I was tempted to get out of my car and run up it [moment of madness]. Let me know if you find any local 10k's. The only one I can find it at Tatton Park I think on the 10th of Dec but not sure if I will be able to do it. Anifrangapani your not far from me either, I thought I was the only one up this end.
Oh master, that is awful how disappointing. I always worry about that as I suffer quite bad it would likely be very obvious and embarrassing.
Welcome Ange well done on your golden ticket.
I don't really tend to run at night but my running tights have reflective stips on and I have a high vis rain coat.

hello hatty! I was eyeing up the Edale thing, but I have abolutely nooo fell experience...am wondering if fells are better for joints as there usually isn't the same bashing of feet onto tarmac? Am really wanting to keep road-training to a minimum for this reason. Runs,ok.

I'm up for a miniMN race meet, whenever suits. Have just looked up Glossopdale Harriers, which do fell and road training in winter. They ask for a comfortable 5 miles as a basic. I did 5 in 46min 47 secs this morning. Do we think this is the entry level? Will prob. now focus on getting my 5mile speeds up.

Thanks for the welcomes! Here is a link to runnorthumberland.org/ I have only ever done the GNR (Great North Run) before - this one looks like it will be a darn sight more up and down! There is not much on anywhere Jan-Mar and the Silverstone 1/2 too far away. I do have a training goal each week but I find everything really hard to fit around DS (3) work and home!! Golden ticket is a charity place which I have had confirmed since July. I have to raise shedloads of money for charity in addition to all the training! but it will be worth it in the end :) (But fancy doing a few other events just for me after that!). yes I have always trained through the summer - it is a different story training through the winter - there are lot of my routes round here I wouldn't run after dark. Tricky! I have been taking our dog but the longer I go the more he starts to dislike it plus I have to keep waiting for him so i can't get a handle on my pace! so I left him at home and did 8k 50 mins this morning! and then we have been for a trip out with DS to a little steam railway after.

sorry, pan not pam

waving to pam and ani. fancy joining me for the edale skyline in spring? having told you lot I'm going to be doing it I'm now in mild panic mode... just thinking about training in the snow, recces, Kinder in March.

failing that maybe we could have a mini mn runners meet up at another race? i'm closer to Sheffield than you two, I think. I do lots of the summer village 5-6 milers (grindleford, hathersage, bamford, longstone, edale, lantern pike etc etc.) I moved up here 3 years ago and can't imagine not doing hills now. getting feckin fed up of cows though - they're everywhere round me at the moment - really frustrating when you set off on a particular route to find it blocked by feisty bullocks.