Bupa 10,000 - London

Monday was the Bupa 10,000 in central London.

I was excited about running in my favourite city and 10km is not too daunting for a bank holiday Monday.

I was well behaved the night before (unlike in Los Angeles) eating LOTS of pasta and bread (with a quarter of a cheesecake for afters.) A little indulgent I feel but at least I was going to run (a percentage of) it off in the morning.

I arrived at Green Park (so called because the King once gave a flower to a lady in waiting whilst walking in the park so the Queen promptly had all flowers removed from the park) and had to pick up my number as it didn't arrive in the post. Quite a lengthy queue but it moved pretty quickly and it gave me a chance to finish my breakfast :-)

I was in the first start wave so made my way down to the pens. We were starting the race on The Mall with our backdrop being Buckingham Palace. A stunning place to line up. Soon enough the pen was filled up and the familiar feeling of body heat surrounded me.

The elites made their way to the start line and at 10am we were off. Down The Mall and through Trafalgar Square. Along The Strand through The Aldwych and around Holborn where I used to work when I very first moved to London in 2000. Lovely memories. On through The City and St Paul's I was thoroughly enjoying every kilometer that passed and the sights were certainly enjoyable to see.

Soon we were back on The Strand and were passing (in the opposite direction) those from subsequent start waves completing their first kilometer.

The last KM is always a tough one as the end feels so close but yet it's really hard to up the pace. I had forgotten to wear my watch so I had no idea how well I was doing so just kept up as best I could and crossed the line in front of Buckingham Palace with Prince Harry waving to me from the balcony. OK so that last bit is a lie but it's true to say that is where the race finished.

I heard the race commentator saying that we were approaching 37 minutes on the clock which I was happy with. The clock was still showing 36m 50s when I went across meaning that I was inside the 36m mark as I set off a little after the gun start time. My official result was:

Overall place: 301
Gender place: 266
10KM time: 36 minutes 46 seconds
5KM split time: 18 minutes 15 seconds    

Not a bad result at all out of 12,000 runners and a very elite field in front of me! Jo Pavey retaining her title after having been up all night ill the night before baffles me. She is amazing and I love chasing her in races :-)

So I was actually only 20 seconds off a PB which if I had worn my watch maybe I would have been able to make up? Let's see at the next 10KM in a few months time.

Post race I enjoyed a lovely walk through this fabulous city, some retail therapy (a must on a bank holiday) and a swim in the Olympic Pool. Sadly no trace of the Team GB diving team at the pool though. Maybe one day my stalking will pay off eh?

Start line featuring Ms. Pavey:

Waiting for the pen to fill up: 

Looking back to a rather marvellous house: 

City 19 done: Los Angeles

A little bit behind on updating the blog; however I have completed my 19th Olympic City. Los Angeles has been ticked off the list.

My holiday in LA was awesome and included:

 - Shopping in Jimmy Choo on Rodeo Drive

 - Hiking in the Hollywood Hills

 - Riding tandems along Venice Beach

 - Drag shows at Hamburger Mary's

 - Getting very drunk in West Hollywood

 - Manicures on Sunset

However; I should talk about the actual race right? Well I had entered the Tinkerbell Half Marathon in Disneyland and it took place on Sunday 10th May. 

The race was an early one starting at 5:30am. The alarm went off at 3:30am and I showered and was ready to leave for race start at 4am. I didn’t actually feel too tired given the lack of sleep. I made my way through Downtown Disney (eating a bowl of porridge on the way) and dropped my bag off. The atmosphere at the race start area was good and the energy was pumping despite the early start. When I arrived the song playing was by the Spice Girls. Did they know I was coming?! 

Fellow runners were a mixture of civilians in ordinary running gear (like me) and those that had been completely Disneyfied and had transformed into various Disney Princess’ and mostly Tinkerbell. I spotted one male runner in a t-shirt with the slogan “Evil Fairy” which I was very jealous over.

We made our way to the start corals in the fairly pleasant temperature. The race was billed as a female focused half marathon meaning that there wasn’t as much testosterone in the start pens as I am used to. I was in start wave B since the A group was reserved exclusively for woman. I spoke to fellow runners who had all run other Disney events before. I can honestly say that the atmosphere was amongst the most friendly I have ever experienced. This truly was going to be a happy race in the happiest place on Earth. My only slight worry was when one competitor had asked me why I was running in the US. I explained about my challenge and this was the turn of LA. He apologized and said that he didn’t like to disappoint me but we weren’t actually in LA and that Disneyland is actually in the city of Orange County so this wouldn’t count. I humoured him whilst thinking to myself that in my eyes it count as a run in LA and for those who don’t agree I had already done a training run from West Hollywood into Beverly Hills (which incidentally I loved) so I had already covered an LA run if people decided not to accept this one.

Given my behavior (in terms of alcohol consumption and lack of sleep) the previous few days I wasn’t going to be aiming for a PB. After all; it was only 24 hours earlier that I had gotten home from the Hamburger Mary’s and West Hollywood drinking session so that clearly isn’t on par with my normal race preparation. So I was just ready to have fun on the run.

The ten second countdown then started. We were off. Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck (still on girl power theme of the event) waved us off as we crossed the line. The ladies in zone A had set off about 8-10 minutes before my group and since I was at the front of my group it meant it was pretty clear as we made our way along Disneyland Drive for the first mile.

I was keeping fairly good pace and there was only one runner in front of me. He was going very quickly so I had no intention of trying to catch him. As we passed mile 1 I had already caught up with the zone A group. As I was going passed lots of the woman were saying “here come the men, good job” which was secretly a bit of an ego boost.

We then entered the first of the two Disney parks and passed a few characters on the sidelines which was fun. We went through the familiar themed lands and soon enough were passing down Main Street USA and through the famous Disney castle. Even the most manly of men (including me) would struggle not to find that part of the run exciting.

As we carried on past miles 3 and 4 I noticed that I was actually catching up with the leading man. Soon I was then running next to him. I thought we would continue to run together but after a few minutes he started to fall behind. I carried on at my own pace passing miles 5 and 6 still overtaking the last few woman from the leading pack. As I reached mile 7 I was running on my own with no runners in sight ahead of me and as far as I could tell none behind me either. At this point we had left the actual Disney parks and were running on the surrounding streets which were (as all things American) huge wide boulevards. There were pockets of supporters which felt great to run past as it felt like my own personal fans. I high fived a lot of them as I went past to say thanks for being up so early and having the energy to cheer at 6am.

So I was running alone bar the official who was cycling next to me as I was the leader of the men’s race. As we passed each mile I could hear him radio in saying “lead male passing mile 8” and would quote the official clock time as I passed the marker. As this happened at miles 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 I really then wanted to finish in first place out of the men. I had said to myself at the start that I wasn’t interested in doing a good time but when you have lead a race for this long it would be devastating to lose out in the last few hundred meters. As I was nearing the end the man on the bike told me it was just around the corner and I was home. I pushed on through and the crowds were lined up either side of the last stretch of the race. The cheers were very welcomed. Just as I crossed the line I heard the commentator say that “Michael Long from London" coming home in first place out of the men” which was amazing to hear. I had finished in second place overall but first out of all the men. Not a bad feat out of 16,000 people in total. My finish time was 1 hour 21 minutes 27 seconds. So not a PB but I was really happy. Perhaps it was the fairy wings on my trainers that brought me home in second place?

So that's city number 19 done. I can't believe there are only 4 more cities to go. I am getting worried I won't know what to do with myself when this challenge is finished!

Race bling:

Finishers photo:

The main girl of the race:

It's all about the wings:

The Electric Run, London

Hello Wembley!

Tonight was the Electric Run in London which promised to be the brightest 5km in the World. It did not let me down and delivered on the promise.

For my journey to the run I had hidden my flashing bracelet in my bag as it couldn't actually turn it off. Best to keep it hidden as nobody likes a flasher on the public transport do they? I was; however hoping the battery would last until the end of the run.

Stepping off the tube at Wembley Park I was greeted by the magnificent arch of the Stadium completely lit up in pink. It looked stunning. It was a lovely tribute to the main charity of the night (Breast Cancer Care.)

Lining up at the start the DJ was pumping. The crowd were covered in ultra violet glasses, tops, skirts and a plethora of other paraphernalia. Some were drinking. Some were smoking. It was most definitely a fun run. The build up to kick off time was great. Glow sticks were being thrown into the crowd. The lights were every colour imaginable and the music was electric too. Before I knew it a dance version of Wannabe was on and the ten second count down started. I was shamelesely excited by the choice of song for the start and then we were off. The bracelet which I had now retrieved from my bag and placed firmly on my wrist was now gone. Bollocks. Clearly I hadn't attached it well enough.

Running was a light pace with competitors running, jogging, walking and dancing their way along. We circumnavigated the stadium which gave great views of the finish line below as well as those waiting to start in a later wave.

We passed inflatable ice creams, cakes (which amazingly smelt of bubble gum) and people on stilts.

The KMs were passing quickly and soon we were at a water stop. The cups were all different colours and I wish all drink stations could be like this. All too soon we approached the final stretch which saw us under rainbow coloured arches. The 5km had gone by in a flash. I hadn't timed myself but I would say it had all gone by in less than 25 minutes. The time wasn't important. Tonight was all about electricity.

In summary it was lovely. It was fun. It made me want to head straight to Ibiza (or at a minimum to Soho to see the night out.)

Alas I have returned home and am enjoying a decaf coffee and a macaroon whilst I write. I guess I can't be rock n roll all the time eh?

Thanks Electric Run. I will be back to join you again.

Flashing on the tube:

The beautiful Wembley Stadium arch:

Getting ready at the start line:

WANNABE! Let's go!

I can smell bubblegum:

Runners everywhere!

A drinks station like no other!

The final stretch to the finish line:

Easter Isle of Man festival

Over the bank holiday I went to the Isle of Man. I had never been before. I didn't really know what to expect but one thing was for sure. I was going to be doing the three following races that made up the Easter running festival on the island:

 - 10km on Good Friday in Port Erin
 - 4 mile hill race in Peel
 - 4 x 5km relay in Douglas

I was looking forward to the events and the latter two were races I had never done before so it was going to be a challenge.

I left London and made my way to Liverpool to stay with my cousin. We had arranged a family breakfast early on the Saturday morning as my ferry to Douglas was due to leave at 11am. The family came around. We ate lots. We gossiped. We laughed. I got a text saying the ferry was delayed until 1pm. It gave us a little more time for one more croissant and a few more stories.

I then left and boarded the ferry. It didn't move for ages. It tried to move but couldn't. It moved forward and back. The captain said we were stuck. He tried again. It failed. He called a tug and eventually we left dock at 6:15pm. I was happy to be on my way but it meant I would miss the 10km race as it started a mere 30 minutes later. One fellow runner didn't accept this and left the boat to head for the airport. He made it just in time for the race start. He won. It was worth whatever he paid for the last minute airfare. It was a real shame though for the race organisers as there were still around 150 other runners in total on the stranded ferry which when you consider there were just over 500 in total due to take part a significant percentage were going to be missing.

Despite the disappointment the big groups of University running club athletes kept me amused. Many were on the pints. One had a blow up doll. I'm not really sure why.

Arrival on the Island was late so a quick stop by Pizza Hut (along with other delayed sea travellers) it was then on to find the farm I was staying at and then bed.

On Saturday it was the Peel hill race. Peel itself is really beautiful and I could see the top of the hill from where I was staying. It was massive. It was a little daunting but the atmosphere at the race start was fun. There was man dressed as a bride. An accompanying husband suitably dressed too. A gentleman in a mankini (that's going to hurt surely?) The Thunderbirds were there and they were on the pints. A sentence I never thought I would ever hear.

We lined up and then set of. Around the harbour and then up the hill. It didn't seem to hard. Roll forward 3 minutes and it was very hard. There was a lot of crowd support on the summit which gave all the runners a real boost. I took each step at a time and took in the views. It was stunning. I actually preferred the uphill parts as I felt more in control. Going downhill was too fast for me and I was paranoid I would slip and go over on my ankle. Clearly I need to man up as it seemed like every other competitor passed me at some point on a downhill! Despite that I finished the race in 30m 18s placing me 142nd out of 219 which I was pleased with. I am not sure I will ever be a fell runner full time but I would certainly do this event again. The alcohol post run were flowing (sttudents can be guaranteed to always find an excuse to drink / celebrate) and the fish and chip shop had a rather large queue. It was worth it though.

Sunday then rolled around and it was time for the relay race along the promenade in Douglas. It was a misty morning which I really liked as it gave a unique atmosphere to the race and the town. I registered and told the organisers I was friendless and needed a team to run with. They teamed me up with Ed, Jack and Mark. Our team name was Easter Bunnies. It was Easter Sunday after all.

The 5km route took us 2.5km up along the sea front and then 2.5km back. Pretty easy not to get lost even if it was misty. Our running order was:

Mark
Me
Ed
Jack

Mark was uber fast and came back in third place. Wowsers; that's quite a bit of pressure to maintain that place. I set off pretty quick but soon could hear people behind me ready to overtake. I forgot to set my stopwatch so had no idea how long I had been going. Must be ages surely? Then the 1km market came into site. OMG. In my head I had nearly finished my leg but in reality I had a long way to go. The KMs did pass fairly quickly though and running next to the sea was very pleasant. I was pleased with my time. Here's how the Bunnies did overall:

Mark = 15m 21s
Me = 18m 21s
Ed = 22m 25s
Jack = 18m 02s

A combined time of 74m 40s for the 20km which placed us 21st out of 50 teams. Not a bad effort at all :-)

The festival was really fun and I hope one day to return so that I can take part in all three races. I doubt very much I will ever be able to keep up with the Uni runners but then again they are all about 15 years younger than me! Not jealous at all....

The journey home to the UK was actually worse than the delayed one on the way out. Hard to imagine so here is the short version. Ferry cancelled back to Liverpool. Put on a ferry to Heysham. Had to look up where Heysham was. Ferry couldn't dock at planned 11pm and circled the harbour for high tide until 2am. Had to drive back to London. Arrived home at 8am ready for work one hour later.

I am reading "Never Let Me Go" at the moment which reminds me of this trip every other page as it is set in a school called Hailsham (very similar sounding to Heysham) where kids are bred for organ donation. If it came to a choice between going to Hailsham or on the IOM ferry again I choose the organ donation.

The journey did allow me fifteen minutes (well fifteen second really) of fame on the news:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-32203112

However; when it comes down to choosing whether to go to the IOM again and the running festival the answer is a resounding yes. I love it there and will return. I will just travel by plane next time!

Tug boat to the rescue!

The hills are alive with the sound of panting:

Run along the prom:

City 18 done: Seoul

It has been 7 months since my last "Olympic" run. Far too long for my liking so it was nice to get back to my challenge!

I had my eye on the Seoul International Marathon as my event to do in Seoul but wasn’t sure about doing another full marathon. It's been over three years since my last one and I have only done two before.

However; I took the decision to enter the marathon earlier this year so I had three months to prepare and there was no going back. I secretly wanted to see if I could break the three hour mark on race day. Read on to see if I did.....

I arrived in Seoul and it was absolutely freezing. Literally. It was so cold that walking for 8-10 minutes outside left me looking for the nearest coffee shop to go into to get warm. I checked the temperature on my phone. -1 degree centigrade. WTF? I was panicked for a while until I saw that as the week went by it was due to heat up to a tropical 11 degrees on race day. Phew!

Soon enough race day was here. I was excited but also quite nervous. The thought of running 26.2 miles was a little daunting plus I was putting myself under my own pressure of a good time. None the less I showered, dressed and ate a glamourous breakfast of Oats So Simple and bananas in my room before heading to the start line in the center of town.

The atmosphere at the start was good. Everyone was in a cheerful mood and the warm up was done to very upbeat K-Pop (which I became a huge fan of during the trip) with some very energetic girls leading on a podium in hot pants. I have noted a few of the moves for my next night of clubbing.

Then the start gun went off. I crossed the line and quickly got into my pace. A little quicker than I had intended.

The kilometers seemed to be flying by and before I knew it I had passed the 6km and then 16km markers. We were running through the area of town where I was been staying and where I had done my last few easy training runs once I arrived in Seoul. 

There is a sunken river that used to be a motorway which is stunning. We ran all the way along it and even took in some of the end sections where the motorway is still there in semi derelict form. Urban running at its best. We looped back on ourselves during this section and I caught a glimpse of the 3 hour pacemaker. He was way ahead of me on the other side of the river so there was no way I was going to catch him but I thought I seemed to be running at around the same pace. The drinks stations were every 5km and I made sure I filled up on water and iso drinks at each opportunity. I felt good reaching the 20km mark and was still tracking good time. I had filled my pockets with jelly beans and at this point started to take a few to keep my sugar levels up. They tasted good.

The route had remained fairly flat and the kilometers were still going by very quickly. At the half way point I crossed in about 1 hour 22 minutes which I knew was fast. I was happy to be on track for sub three hours and I knew that I had an “extra” eight minutes to do the second half. Just beyond this point I did have to start planning a re-creation of one of Paula Radcliffe’s most famous moments. Where could I pee? I hadn’t really noticed any loos along the route so searching out for a roadside bush was a must. I had noticed a few people doing this way back at the start so I figured I would not get arrested for doing the same. I spotted a place with no spectators nearby and made my way of for some relief. 

Onwards I then went. As I reached the 30km mark I was still pacing well but my legs had started to feel a little heavy. There was a food station at this point so I refueled with a banana (my fourth of the day so far) and more jelly beans. I then didn’t focus on the rest of the race but merely on getting to the 35km mark when I would treat myself to more sugar. The kilometers were certainly not flying by from this point and I could tell I was slowing down. Reaching the 35km mark I was happy (particularly as it had been the steepest incline of the race to reach it) and the views across the river were lovely. That said though I could see the Olympic Stadium where we were due to finish across the other side of the river and realised it was a further 7km before we would be inside it. That’s a long way. 

I knew I wouldn’t make it within three hours at this stage since my pace had slowed quite a lot so I focused on beating the 3 hours 15 minutes. I decided to run each kilometer and then walk for 15 seconds to rest and then run to the next kilometer marker. This seemed to work for me and whilst I was disappointed to have to stop for short breaks I thought it was best to arrive at the finish in one piece. Soon I was at 40km with only 2km to go. I carried on with the same strategy and then there was only 1km to go. Woo hoo! Soon I was then inside the stadium. Less than once around the track and I would be home. I looked at my watch as I crossed the line. 3 hours 3 minutes 36 seconds. Almost all the threes! It placed me 537^th out of 20,000 starters. 

So not quite under the 3 hour mark but still beating my marathon PB by 47 minutes....I'll take that! 

So that is city number 18 done and it's not long until city number 19 takes to the stage. Bring on Los Angeles in a few weeks time!

Until then...... 

Finished at the end

With my South Korean flag. Olympic city 18 done!

Bath half marathon

Today was the Bath half marathon.

Bath is a beautiful place so yesterday was a treat to spend the afternoon there. I had also treated myself to staying in a lovely guesthouse that was part of the Mr & Mrs Smith group...a group of hotels I had always wanted to stay in.

The hotel did not disappoint. I was actually quite pleased that the only dinner reservation time I could get was at 18:30 (since town was totally full of runners) as it meant I got to spend more time relaxing in the room.

The race today was also due to start at 11am. Again another treat in that I could "sleep in" until 07:30 before getting up for breakfast. Race days normally involve a very early rise time due to most races starting at 9am.

So today I had a relaxed breakfast in the hotel and made the short wander to the start line. There were 15,000 people or so taking part so there were lots of runners everywhere. It was a little chilly and about 09:45 the heavens opened and I had to take shelter in one of the tents surrounding the baggage drop area. I was worried it was going to be a pretty miserable race if the weather stayed like this. Rain would mean a very cold wait for the start, a soggy outfit on the way round plus less spectators as they take cover in the warm.

However; after 20 minutes or so the clouds had emptied and the sun actually came out. I made my way to the start line. I was in the first start wave but I didn't push my way to the front because today I was using the race as a training run for the Seoul Marathon on the 15th March. I was therefore not aiming for a PB and wanted to do the Bath Half in my planned Marathon pace (which would mean just under 1h 30m for today.)

The route of the race was gorgeous. I would say it is actually close to being a favourite of mine out of all the races I have ever done. Starting in the city firstly meant taking in the amazing architecture. Secondly the crowds were super supportive. Thirdly we then went out to the countryside which was stunning.

At the start of the race they said that the Bath Half was so good you get to run it twice i.e. it was two laps of the same loop. Ordinarily I am not a massive fan of going back over the same ground but this time it didn't feel like we ran the same route twice. Not quite sure why?!

I felt good all the way through the race despite being a little toasty. I had opted for warmth whilst waiting for the start line and thus was paying for it now. At least I found this out now so that I can adopt my warmth strategy for the start of the Seoul Marathon as it will be pretty chilly there too. I used the water and drinks stations as practice for the marathon day too. I would class myself as a polite runner. I always thank the volunteers handing out the drinks and throw the bottles in the bins provided if there is one. Today though a man just behind me in the race took a drink from a volunteer and belched at the same time. Not quite as polite eh?!

A couple of miles into the race I heard an ambulance siren behind me which is something I have never experienced. All runners moved over to the right to let it go past. I am not sure if it was on its way to rescue someone or already had someone in. Either way I hope whoever it was is ok.

I could tell I was pacing a little too quick versus my planned marathon pace so I eased up a little around 10 miles and didn't race to the finish despite others really going for it in the last few hundred meters.

I crossed the line in 1 hour 23 minutes 53 seconds (with a 10km split of 39m 01s) placing me 264th. Not bad at all.

I loved everything about the race and it made me feel prepared for the marathon two weeks today. Let's see if I can get the pace right then....

Will let you know!

Mid race turn:

My impersonation of a friendly runner:

Almost there....final stretch:

Done:

Done just in time before more rain (check the clouds):

London Winter Run

Today was the London Winter Run. It was 10km. It was in aid of Cancer Research UK. It is a good way for runners to stay motivated to train in the chilly and dark winter months.

The race had promised snow zones along the way and warm hugs from polar bears at the finish. Enough said. I was game.

The weather in the week leading up to the race was extremely cold and snow was making an appearance across the UK (with tiny bits in London.) Maybe the snow zone wouldn't be necessary as we would have the real thing?

This morning though it was snow free but it was still cold. The sky was clear and the morning sunrise across the river was fantastic.

The warm up at the start line was necessary. The atmosphere was building. They played "Let it go" from Frozen many times. Good job I like that song.

A quick Mexican wave from all of us and a good luck message from Jo Pavey meant that we were seconds away from the start. I really admire Jo and starting just behind her was pretty exciting. My PB (set at the Kew Gardens 10km back in September) was when Jo was running in the race too so maybe she would be my lucky charm today and help me beat that record?

The route took us all the way along the Thames towards the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. I love running by the river so it was a real treat. I was pretty near the front of the pack so it felt a little like having the city to myself. There was a group of 3 or 4 of us running at a similar pace which was a good motivation for me to keep going.

The KM signs were shooting by quite quickly and I passed the 5km mark at 18 minutes so I was making good progress. The head wind on the way back was challenging at times but the sound of the bells ringing as we ran passed St. Paul's Cathedrals was fantastic. London is indeed a super city I never tire of. We passed through a few snow zones which was fun. I got a "snowflake" stuck on my nose.

On the home stretch we were running back along the embankment towards Whitehall where we were due to finish. 800m to go until polar bear hugs the sign said. 500m to go. I knew I couldn't get a PB but could I make it in under 37 minutes?

I crossed the finish line. 37m 2s so just outside my goal but I was 15th out of 16,000 so I am pleased with that.

I got a polar bear hug as well as a medal. Who can ask for a better Sunday eh?

The city looking beautiful at sunrise

Still wrapped up at the warm up

Jo Pavey at the start with me photo bombing in the background

Let's go....or should I say "Let it go"

 A friendly polar bear at the end

New Year's Day 10km

New Year's Day is typically for most a day spent in a slumber on the sofa or perhaps hungover on the bathroom floor. I usually considered myself very active on NYD by either going out for dinner or to the cinema.

So this year I exceeded my own expectations. I entered a race which was on the morning of NYD.

I landed back in London from NYC at 7am on 31st December. I went straight home. I showered and then worked from home for the day. No cat naps in the daytime it was then time for my friends to come over for some bubbles ahead of dinner at the local pub. Fun was had. Rum was drunk. More bubbles were drunk. Coffee with Amaretto was drunk. A little bit of dancing was done. I went home at 1:30am. Not ideal preparation ahead of a race.

So when the alarm went off at 8am I could quite easily have ignored it and gone back to bed; however I forced myself into the shower, dressed and made my way to Hyde Park to register for the race.

Getting to Hyde Park I was looking forward to running; however after 15 minutes of standing in the cold I just wanted to start so I could warm up. I was pleased I had worn winter running attire. I picked up my race packet. The timing chip confused me. I tried several times to attach it but had to had a rest and try again once more. I am sure it was more complicated than me simply being tired. The race was only for about 600 people but it had a pleasant and friendly atmosphere at registration.

Soon enough we lined up and were on our way. The route took us through Hyde Park and across into Kensington Gardens. We made a left near one of my favourite trees (the fairy tree) and past Kensington Palace at which point I waved (in my head) to Kate, Wills and George...and bump.

After a few KMs I was pretty warm. Nothing could be done except keep going. There were a lot of good runners in the field and I can see them far ahead of me. I was in a pack with three other ladies who were all battling it out for third place in the ladies category. We each made efforts to go in front of the other which was good for my pace as I am sure I may have slowed down had I not had the others to keep me going.

We eventually left Kensington Gardens and ran along the Serpentine all the way to the finish. I crossed the line in 38 minutes flat placing me 33rd overall which I was pleased with.

So a very different but lovely start to the new year. I celebrated with my last Egg Nog Starbucks of the season.

Dashing thru the sand in Grand Cayman

Today was the annual dashing thru the sand run on Grand Cayman. I say that like I knew it as a world famous event but I only actually heard of it 3 days ago.

I arrived in Grand Cayman on 22^nd December ready for a sunny Christmas ahead of a friend’s wedding on the 29^th. Picking up the hire czar I was perusing the usual racks of tourist brochures and  came across a “what’s on” guide and gave that a flick. Two things stood out to me:

1) A recipe for Egg Nog

2) An advert for the dashing thru the sand run

In my head I agreed to both. First things first. it was time to make some Egg Nog. I have never made it from scratch before but can tell you now that every festive season from now on it will be as traditional as mince pies, Christmas tunes and Starbucks Eggnog lattes.

I then signed up for the dashing thru the sand event. Only a few hours later I got a personal  email from the organiser to welcome me to the island and to let me know all the final  arrangements for the day. I think he was excited that I had travelled from London….a detail I would realise why later on after the race.

On Christmas morning I had a swim in the sea at sunrise accompanied by some Prosecco on the beach. I then decided to have a short run along the beach in order to prepare for the race the next day. It. Was. Hard. The heat was quite something to contend with (I am certain the lobster we had later on for Christmas dinner could have BBQ’d itself) but the sand was pretty deep and every step was a challenge. It reminded me of when I first started getting into running back in 2010 when I took a trip to Carbis Bay in Cornwall and would run on the beach before breakfast. Again a beautiful beach but harder to train on than the roads of London.

So getting up this morning we made our way down to the start where we met Jerry (the race organiser) to say hello and to pick up our t-shirts. It was a very friendly atmosphere and everyone was still in the Christmas spirit. Some wore Santa hats. Some wore reindeer antlers (moi included.) Some wore halos. Some simply looked like seasoned beach runners with no tops on. They looked good. Those would be the people I needed to chase. I also followed their lead and removed my trainers to run barefoot (also slightly aided by the fact I had just been caught by a rogue wave and was soaking.)

We started at 07:30 so the heat was not so strong. We ran along the beautiful 7 mile beach (not all of it….just 1.5 miles) and the stretch that we took was on less of a camber than my run the day before and on much harder sand. It was really fun. Running barefoot was a real treat and I would say something I would adopt forever but I know that it will only be whenever I have the chance to run on sand. Occasionally the waves came right up onto the beach which was a welcome cool down as well as making me feel like David Hasselhof or was it Pamela Anderson? You decide.

I finished in a healthy 7^th place out of around 200 people I think. Coconut water was in abundance at the end (this is the Caribbean after all) as well as a breakfast buffet at a beach bar. They announced the prizes for the top 4 men and women finishers as well as giving a prize for the person that had travelled the furthest to get to the race. We lost out to some people from France but were then given a special present for making our way from London. A lovely gesture.

A lovely race in a lovely country. I will run on the beach every day until I leave…..

The start area....a lot warmer than waiting for the start of races in winter in the UK:

Headgear at the ready:

Along 7 mile beach we go:

Baywatch envy, Can you spot me?

Finished!

The Liverpool Santa Dash

The Santa Dash in Liverpool is the World's largest Santa run. Last year Liverpool faced up to the challenge from Las Vegas to gain the coveted title and Liverpool won. Hurrah.

So this year the Santas were out in force again and I believe there were over 10,000 of us taking part today. I like to think that after today the city has retained it's crown as the greatest Santa fun run on Earth. I heard a rumour during the race that the city is potentially not gong to do the race next year but I hope this turns out not to be true. I will be devastated if it doesn't go ahead in 2015.

So the format today was the same as last year whereby you could choose to run in either a red or blue Santa suit dependent on whether you are a Liverpool or Everton supporter. I ran with various members of my family with all of us adopting a red suit except for my sister who was in blue. We also had my little niece (just short of her second birthday) to take along the 5km route in her running buggy. She was also very festive and dressed in red.

As a family team we were also carrying the following handicaps:

1 of us had a chest infection and tonsillitis

1 of us had a swollen and painful knee from a fall earlier in the week

1 had a hangover

I was up drinking with the aforementioned person until 3am. (i.e. 6.5 hours prior to the race.) 

A healthy bunch if ever there was one eh?

The atmosphere at the start line was excellent. Despite it being a little breezy down at the docks the mighty setting of the Liver Building and thousands of Santas was enough to get the adrenaline going and stay warm. My trousers were way too big and fell down twice. Dirty old Santa = me. Fortunately we had safety pins to salvage the situation. We started near the back of the crowd since I had the buggy and soon we passed the start line to the sound of Christmas tunes and we were on our way. Marvellous.

I love Christmas and the build up to it so today was a perfect way to get further into the Christmas spirit (if the prosecco and mince pies the night before weren't enough.) I have to say though at the start I felt a little upset as my Mum and Dad would have loved to have been part of this event and what has now become a newly made family tradition. Don't get me wrong; they may not necessarily have been running with us but most certainly would have been watching from the sidelines at the very least. It just made me a little sad that they are not here to share in it.

But on with the show we went. After all; I had a buggy (not an empty one) to push for the next 5km. 

The route went through town and being at the back of the pack meant we had excellent views of the thousands of red (and occasional blue) people ahead of us. It was awesome. The weather was pretty kind to us and my niece didn't moan once during the course. She's a star. 

Despite our ailments we crossed the finish line together under snowfall that the city had kindly arranged for us. It was a shame we had to break it to my cousin that it was indeed fake snow and not real as she first had thought. Still a magical moment though. 

Post run sausages and bacon butties were the order of the day followed by watching Home Alone by the open fire. 

It has been the most simple race to sum up in three words.

A wonderful day.

Number, beard and hat at the ready

Niece ready

A beautiful niece in front of a beautiful building

The docks fill with Santas

The dream team at the ready

Sibling selfie: Red vs. Blue

Almost ready

Let's go!

It's tiring being pushed for 5km

Lovely and festive. Time to get warm post run

Ken Dodd at Liverpool Lime Street. Clearly the make over victim of some runners