How is everyone? I'm good taking a few days to rest & recover from all my recent running & various aches & pains.
Half Marathon Expo
On Saturday afternoon Mr Fudgey & I had to head into Edinburgh to collect my race number for Sunday. For us this was a bit of a pain in the backside as we live a 45 minute bus journey from the centre of town but as the organisers wanted an extra £5 to post race packs out I opted to make the 25 mile round trip to collect!
I have to say I was a little disappointed with what was on offer at the expo - compared to the amazing Expo we'd been at in Dublin.
I received a tiny envelope with my race number & chip, then to another tent to collect my tshirt & gear bag which simply contained several leaflets that will all end up in my recycling bucket.There were a few stalls & I loved the Bond Band stall though & fabby hubby got me a pink ponytail hat, a band for my good friend smurfy & this band for me.
I also got a couple of energy bars at the Run for it stand but other than that there wasn't much for me & very little in the way of give aways, competitions etc.
I know that all sounds quite negative but it's not meant to be I'm just being honest. On a positive note it did psych me up for the run on Sunday - seeing everyone collecting their numbers & walking about with their gear bags started to get me in the mood.
Race Day
It wasn't as early a start as my 2 other recent events - a start time of 9am meant I was able to get up at 6.45am.
My usual pre race breakfast of Marks & Spencer Apple & Sultana Instant porridge - I think if they ever discontinue this I will cry - it's now seen me through 2 marathons & 4 halfs :-)
Plenty of water to drink to hydrate. Feet taped up - though touch wood I've not had any foot / blister issues in a long long time. Kitted up & ready to go at 7.45am.
Massive Thank you again for Dad Smith for running us into Edinburgh - very very much appreciated - it really took the stress out of getting there on time.
As usual first stop was the queue for the portaloos. Sorry another criticism but for the number of runners there were not enough toilets especially compared to other events I've taken part in with both a lot more & a lot less runners. By the time I finally made it to the front of the queue & went to the loo & came out they were announcing that there were 15 minutes till the start of the race & could all runners make their way to the starting areas.At this point I said goodbye Mr Fudgey as he headed off to find a good photo spot & I went to my start area. The 8th section back from the start.
It was fantastic to bump into Jonathan Sherman also making his way to his start area & to say hello & then to find the lovely Sarah Burgon - so we had a good old natter while we waited the 11 minutes it took us to get over the start line from the gun. Though there was quite a wait it was good as they were waiting a minute or so between each corral so there was no problem with congestion on the course which can be frustrating.
The Red Hot Chilli Pipers played Flower of Scotland at the start but as we were so far back we couldn't see anything.
Once across the line I settled in a nice steady pace - I knew this wasn't going to a PB in fact I expected a personal worse with all the aches, pains, niggles, moans & groans I've had recently. 4 races in 4 weeks certainly took their toll & I know that since the start of the year I have overtrained & not rested as much as I should have. I should practice what I preach on to others about all the time!
Saw fantastic Mr Fudgey so gave him my customary wave & focused on what lay ahead. I was running really great for the first 5k better than I've run in a wee while but it started to get warm as we passed along portobello & I could feel my pace slowing. I still felt OK though & kept going. The music at each mile was really good especially if you missed the mile marker you knew from the entertainment you'd passed another mile :-) I kept drinking enough to keep me hydrated & took on an energy gel after each 6k.
The pace really started to drop a lot after 10k especially climbing some of the hills & a few times I had to slow to a walk. Though I have to admit the downhills were more painful that the uphills.
They really made me grimace at some points, especially coming down the mound. My right leg & groin wanted to divorce me & find a new body At around 11 miles I was finding it really tough going it was so hard as the mind was willing but my body just wasn't so I decided on a tactic of allowing myself to walk for 1 minutes & then run for 3 minutes - this got me through miles 11 & 12 & then I knew I was nearly at the finish. Checking Mr Garmin I knew I could make the finish under 2 hours 30 which though a personal worst for me was the pace I had hoped I could manage & I didn't want to be over 2hrs 30. Practically cried up the last incline of Jeffrey Street, but when I got to the Ragamuffin shop at St Mary Street & the Royal mile I knew it was all downhill & I was adamant & sheer bloody minded that I was running all the way to the finish........Which I did:-)
I've never been so glad for a race to be over. 2 hours 28 minutes a personal worst but I'm so incredibly proud of myself for sticking with it & finishing.Other than my Lockie sheer bloody mindedness & stubbornness, these last few runs have been to raise funds for The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice for my Gran Margaret Lockie who they took such great care of. I know I've said this before & my regular followers will remember but my Gran was the most amazing, strong, & dignified lady I know & seeing the way she dealt with her terminal Cancer will inspire me for the rest of my life. If you can spare a couple of quid please please please donate here
At the finish area I got water, a powerade, a banana, a pack of crisps, a frusli bar & a mini bag of haribo - which I think Mr Fudgey has eaten or are still in his bag. There was no race goody bag but there was a pretty awesome medal.
So would I recommend this race, for the route, the on course entertainment, marshalling, the medal & the tshirt absolutely. A bit pricey, & next year they need to revisit the packet pick up & the number of loos. Also disappointingly the results in the Edinburgh evening news are gun time not chip time so a good 10 minutes slower than actual time.
So what's next?
I'm signed up for a 10k in 4 weeks but at the moment my main focus is on getting all my wee niggles recovered & my body properly rested.
I'll be back soon with an update on how I'm getting on
Take Care all
love
Fudgey xxxx
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