What a nightmare......

On Friday night I had a dream, two in fact. I dreamt it was the start of the London Marathon. I was in a field, with thousands of runners all pushing towards to start line. I glanced at my watch, and it said 9.27 which meant three minutes to go until the start. How exciting! So exciting, in fact, that I decided at this point, that I really needed a wee. Really really needed a wee. I looked at the loo queue, which had been snaking all around the field until then, and saw it had almost gone. I sprinted over, but by the time I got there, other people had already jumped in before me, and were barricading my way into the toilet block. But because I'd already thought I needed a wee, I couldn't unthink it, so I had to wait. When I came out of the toilet block, the field was empty, apart from a few horses, and a cow who was wearing trainers (each a different colour) and a sunhat. I had missed the start! I jogged over the start line, and completed the marathon, but ran it all on my own, and, interestingly for the London Marathon, didn't see a soul, or any of London. 

I woke up in a panic. Goodness!!!! Then I realised it was just a dream. Or, a nightmare. I'm not sure which. So I fell back asleep again, and then, and I'm not joking, I dreamt the same thing. The exact same thing! Only the cow had moved a bit to underneath a tree (I was going to say, mooooved, but I didn't), and had taken off it's sunhat and trainers and given one trainer to each of the different horses, who were all prancing around the tree in circles.

I woke up again in panic and this time I couldn't get back to sleep. I think I have a real problem. I wasn't running anywhere this weekend, and it must have been on my mind. What was I missing! I hadn't got anything else planned! Everyone else would be doing things, and seeing each other, and here was I with a whole weekend and nothing to do.

I found it a bit hard this week, after I'd finished the Running for Hannah Challenge, feeling a bit empty, like I had no purpose anymore. I always do, after I finish something. I know that this is probably actually a real problem, all joking aside, that I can't just step back, and relax for a bit, and think that oh yeah it's quite good that I managed to do that. But I decided that now wasn't the time to deal with this problem, I've ignored it for long enough after all, so I spent Saturday booking races. I realised that I could just about do 52 marathons in 52 weeks, if I got my act together. If you do that, you achieve a Global Marathons Challenge, and you can get a special vest and medal. I've done 40 marathons/ ultras since the beginning of November last year, so if I do 12 more before the end of October I'll have done it. To make myself feel better, and give myself a focus, I booked them all up yesterday:

03.08.19 - Phoenix Spring Marathon

04.08.19 - Vanguard Way

10.08.19 - Phoenix One Run to Rule Them All

11.08.19 - Saturn Forrest Run

24.08.19 - White Cliffs 32 miles

25.08.19 - Woldingham Marathon

😎😎😎HOLIDAYS!😎😎😎

21.09.19 - Phoenix Race to the Thrones #1

21.09.19 - Phoenix Race to the Thrones #2

05.10.19 - GBC Autumn #1 (thanks Jon for the prize in your prize draw!)

06.10.19 - GBC Autumn #2

19.10.19 - X-Run Saturn

20.10.19 - Zoovengers Run Saturn

I also booked the Athens Marathon in November, and maybe Lanzarote or one in Thailand in December, as it is time to extend my horizons. One thing I love is exploring new places through running, and it's outrageous that so far the only abroad marathon I have done is the Palma Marathon back in 2012. I spend far too much time worried and stressed about work and the future, and not enough thinking about other things right now. After spending a whole day with nothing to do but think, I realised that this must be fixed! I also realised that to complete my A-Z Marathons/ Ultra Challenge (where you collect races beginning with different letters) I only need Q and Y. So far, I found Queenstown in New Zealand or Quebec or Queen City in Canada, for Q, which sounds like the basis for another holiday. And maybe the Year End Marathon at Phoenix for Y, if I can get the day off from work..... And then once I've done those, I might start on some other stuff.....

Then I went to bed on Saturday night, and had two more dreams. The first dream, I was a phoenix, and I was going to Phoenix to do two marathons in a day (I can kind of see where this came from, as I had entered those races earlier in the day)...this time I made the start line, but I'd forgotten to take a change of clothes, and hadn't taken any socks. I woke up, and was about to get up and put them in my bag, before I realised I wasn't going to Phoenix today. So I went back to sleep and had another dream, where this time, it was time for another Phoenix race, but this time I was late, as it was 08:00 and I was still at home, and the race started at 09:30, and I would have to drive, but there was no petrol in the car. Somehow I made it (maybe in some kind of a spacecraft, it being 50 years since the first moon landing and all), and was sat at a picnic bench waiting to start, when one of the nurses from work arrived, and told me I was eating the wrong things, and that I had order the wrong feeding tube for a patient. As I said, I need to stop thinking about work. 

Anyway, I woke up and decided that all this thinking was too much, and it was time for a run. I was very proud, as for the first time in a few runs, I managed to run past an ice cream van without stopping:

This is was mostly because we were running through the Olympic Park and the athletics was on at the stadium, and I felt a bit pressured to look like I was putting maximum effort in. 

I do like running around here, it's such a great space to run in:

People always say to me that it must be really boring running in London. It's not exciting in the way that running out in the countryside is, I agree, but I never find it boring. There's always so much to watch, even on my standard run home from work, which isn't a nice route at all. And east London is brilliant to run around with all the canals, rivers and parks; it sounds kind of weird I know, but it is really green for a city, and I love it in a different sort of way to how I love running in other places. It's even got cows and horses, just like in my dream.

East London - it's Gnome Sweet Home!

Running for HannAH Challenge = completed! Run H (The Hallow 12 Parish Challenge, 13.07.19) and run A (The Andredsweald Circuit, 14.07.19)

This weekend it was time for the last two runs of my Running for Hannah Challenge. My friend Hannah is battling bowel cancer, and I've been spelling out her name with ultra marathons, to show my support for her, and to raise money for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, and the Pelican Cancer Foundation, two charities from the centres she is having treatment. 

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/runningforhannah

Due to some logistical trouble, and races beginning with the right letters not being on the right days (how inconvenient!) they were the wrong way around, so 'H' the Hallow 12 Parish 40 miles was on Saturday, and 'A' the Andredsweald Circuit was on Sunday. So technically it was the Hannha Challenge, I suppose. So, I'm really sorry Hannah, but it was the best that I could find, and I hope it's OK!

Due to the lack of H and A races this weekend, the two I found were quite far apart from each other, so it was a bit of logistics to get to the right places at the right times. Thanks Andrew for coming too, and running as well, and helping with getting between them! I love these parts of doing events - staying in random places, travelling at weird times, portable food....

The Hallows 12 Parish 40 miles Challenge was in Worcester, and it was organised by the Worcester Scout Group. Fabulous surprise to see my friend Kirsty at the start! I only realised the night before when I looked at the map that she lived close to the start, so big thanks to her for at the last moment getting up really early on a Saturday, and seeking out a random scout hut in a little village (and on the wrong side of the River Severn), to come to say hi! 

The route started in Hallow, then followed the River Severn for a few miles, before making a big loop around Worcester, the Malvern Hills, and the surrounding 12 parishes. 

It was pretty scenery......

There were lots of helpful signs,

And some really helpful ones,

It was pretty tricky underfoot for most of it, and some parts were even like a jungle,

And we had to run through fire,

And Andrew wasn't too well (nothing to do with the fire). So it took longer than usual to complete it. But it was still a very good run! 

My favourite bit was seeing, not just llamas,

But a baby llama! 

😍😍😍😍😍

The checkpoints the whole way round were brilliant, but special mention has to go to the food at the end. I was worried might not be any (that's just a general worry, not just specific to today), or worse, that it was going to be Worcestershire sauce based. But no! It was a giant baked potato with homemade veggie chilli. It was completely delicious. I've never seen such a big portion in my life. I think the cost of ingredients for that alone must have cost more than the entry fee (which, I must say, at £15 was incredible value for money, even without the potato). I definitely recommend the event, well organised, friendly, brilliant marshals and checkpoints, and a good route - thank you 12 Parish Challenge! And, Run H = done!

All too soon it was time to head off, for a long drive to the Premier Inn (#2 of the weekend) at Gatwick (glamour!) in time for the last part of the challenge tomorrow.....

Which was the Andredsweald Circuit, organised by the Kent LDWA. This was a marathon, so, as I wanted all of the runs in the challenge to be ultras, we got there a bit early and I ran about 3-4 miles before the race started, to make it an ultra. So to prove I did it, here is me leaving at the start,

Here is the path (The Forest Way) that I ran along,

 

And here is me at the turn around point:

Then it was back to the start for half an hour or so, for some coffee and chats (which I'm sure was how I used to spend Sunday mornings before I started running), then it was off for the main event...

I was pretty happy to have completed my challenge up to this point, I didn't really think at the start that I could do any of what I'd signed up to at all, but I had a reason to be doing it, and I've always focused on that, whenever things have been difficult. Knowing why I'm doing it makes it easy; I would keep running forever, through mountains/ fire/ storms/ anything, to support Hannah. 

So I kind of thought that this would be the most straightforward run of the challenge, it was the shortest, and I have lots of experience with marathons (way more than 100s!), plus it was the final run, and in my mind I knew I was almost there so I thought it would feel easier. As always, I was wrong, and, genuinely, I think this one felt the toughest of the lot! I couldn't understand how I could go from feeling so in control the day before, to feeling so incompetent the next day! But, like I just said, I had a reason to do it, and I was going to do it no matter what!

The run was all around Ashdown Forest (including Pooh Bridge!), which is close to where my Mum is from, so I've spent a lot of time around there, and I love it so much. It was brilliant to be back, and it was a really beautiful route,

The route description was fantastic, including guidance such as "begin a remorseless ascent" , "turn right to shimmy thru clump" and "pass lonely small metal gate on left". But it was just a tricky route to follow, and we spent most of the day being lost, to be honest, which was mostly my fault, although Andrew and Craig were too busy poncing around to help correct my mistakes much, until the directions mentioned a pub, and then they were suddenly all over it (😂😂😂  - just kidding!)...

A pub stop part way through a marathon might not be seen as that professional, I suppose, but in my defence, it did say in the route description "turn right to Foresters Arms, if needed", and well, it was needed. I know that people think Kent is flat. I thought Kent was flat. Until I did the Andredsweald Circuit. It was really tough, and difficult to run, and it was totally knackering. And I don't care if I sound ridiculous saying a marathon in Kent was harder than 100 miles in Northumbria, because that's how I felt, and the route description said that we could go to the pub if we needed to, and we needed hydration, and so we went. I think there should actually have been a self clip in there to be honest, and everyone else should have been disqualified for not following the route. 

Anyway, I felt, briefly at least, much better for the pit stop, until we realised that we were actually quite close to getting timed out at the next checkpoint, it was still about a mile away uphill, and there was a herd of cows in the way. An elderly gentleman, when we said hello to him, smiled back and called "are you hoping to get lost?" Which made absolutely no sense anyway, but especially because 1) why would you hope that, and 2) yes, we already were. 

We made it to the checkpoint, which was only at about 16 miles, and we still had about 10 miles to go. Or, so we thought, but as it was LDWA, it turned out to be about 28 miles by the end (extra, free, bonus miles!), but I'm glad we didn't know that then. Soon after, we went through a gateway, which set of a sensor, and Victor Meldrew's voice started bellowing out. I'm not making it up, I promise. Then right after that, we saw a dead snake, which was probably quite small and brownish in colour, but I remember now as being at least a foot long, maybe two, and bright green with black zig zags and definitely looked deadly. I'm not making this up either. It was all quite bizarre. I began to wonder, what had I had 1/2 a pint of in that pub?

Anyway, we made it to the end, without too many other things to deal with, other than a mile or two where the instructions included avoiding cricket balls, bowling balls and golf balls, which we made it through without injuries. Thank you Andrew and Craig for a great run! It was really really really hard, but it was so much fun with you guys! 

So, my Running For Hannah Challenge is complete! 290 miles in total, and I'm so happy I managed to do it all. Thank you so much everyone for your support. I've been totally bowled over by your kindnesses, messages of support, good wishes for Hannah, and your donations. Together we've raised over £1000 for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and The Pelican Cancer Foundation, which is absolutely brilliant, and I know this money will be put to good use, and make a difference!

And, Hannah, the reason I did this! Every step I thought of you .... you are the most amazing, strong, positive, and inspiring  person I know. I am so sorry you are having to go through all that you are. Even though I've completed the challenge now, I'll carry on running every step thinking of you! I know you can beat this, and so do all the people who I've spoken to throughout the challenge, who send you their love, wishes, and who think you are amazing. Sending you all of my love 💜💙💚💛🧡❤️

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/runningforhannah

The Moreton Marathon, 07.07.19 - Kasia's 100th marathon!

I have to say one thing, first of all, before moving to running. This weekend, I learnt the difference between a pegasus and a unicorn. This was a gap in my knowledge which I wasn't aware of before now, and I fear that this may be the case for others, and so I shall share my newly attained nugget of info. A unicorn has a horn, but no wings. A pegasus has no horn, but wings. Or, a unicorn would benefit from Red Bull, but a pegasus has no need for such a thing.

And so, with this noted, on to running!

This weekend, it was the Weekend at the Races, in Moreton, with White Star Running. I've never done a run with White Star Running before, but I'd heard good things about them, so the weekend was looking to be much better than last week had been. It was a whole weekend of running, and I'd been gutted that there were no spaces left for the Unicorn Frolic 12 hour run on Saturday, which was my friend Kasia's Flake (99th) Marathon. As it turned out, although I still really really wanted to run with her, not being able to run meant time to explore the campsite, or, more specifically, The Beer Tent (with the Piddle Brewery Bar). I was already in love with White Star Running. I've never run a race where it included "5 pm - bar opens" in the instructions, and it was like a festival, but with running as well. What a combination! Lots of friends around as well, so Saturday was a fun day in the sun, watching some great running performances (actual unicorns may not have wings, but runners dressed as unicorns were flying for sure), and celebrating Kasia's Flake Marathon with blueberry Polish vodka.

The only slight negative of the weekend was that it served as a reminder that I am not a natural at camping. For starters, Andrew and I had by far the smallest tent on the campsite....

And in an effort to save on carrying things on the train, I had brought my yoga mat to sleep on, instead of a mattress. Yoga mats may be good to do yoga on, but they are not good to sleep on. That was one learning. Another learning, is that denim jackets are good to wear, but they are not good pillows. Another thing I learnt during Saturday night, is that being stuck between a rock and a hard place is never more of a greater predicament than when you are laying upon several rocks and hard places, on a thin yoga mat, with a denim jacket as a pillow, and there is a fly stuck in between the tent walls having a breakdown, and it starts to rain. 

But! This weekend wasn't about sleeping! It was way too exciting for that, and it was all about my friend Kasia, and about celebrating her massive achievement of reaching 100 marathons (of which many have been ultras!)! And so.......to Sunday! 

Sunday was an absolutely fabulous day, easily one of my favourite runs! It was essentially a big party, with some running thrown in. Kasia ran not just another marathon, but ran it whilst pulling three giant balloons behind her the whole way, which I think deserves an even bigger special mention. It was kind of like watching a transformation take place. The balloons, which started off the day bouncing around high above Kasia's head, it must be said became more deflated as the day went on, and they fought valiantly against 26 miles worth of assaults from trees, brambles, bees, fences, and friendly punches. As the balloons drifted closer the the ground, I could sense Kasia's confidence rising up to take their place. She is such a brilliant runner, and I don't think she even realises it, and to see her get closer every step to her next big goal was magical! 

A big group of us all ran together, around two laps around the Moreton Estate, which you can't normally run around. What a place! There were fields to run through....

 ...forests tracks to skip along.... 

rivers to traverse.....

....hay bales to pose on...

...someone had even got out the red carpet to mark the occasion, and help us over a barbed wire fence.....

...there were helpful signs.....

.

...monuments....

...and a Love Station....

Yes, a Love Station! I go on a lot about checkpoints on here, as I love a good checkpoint. Got to say though, this was like no checkpoint I've been to before. It was supercharged! There were shots of Schnapps, glasses of beer, music, dancing, a lady with a plant waterer spraying people with water, cakes and crisps and gherkins. Yes, gherkins. Fortunately, I didn't have to eat any, as Kasia had found them first, and was creating some kind of new electrolyte drink, which seemed to be composed of a gherkin in a glass of Schnaps, which by all accounts seemed to be effective, as she bounced along the next couple of miles. I settled for some Schnapps, followed by beer for good measure. Added in to the burger I'd had for breakfast, today was turning in to a new kind of marathon nutrition approach. I was going to start on a new course next year, so I can train in sports nutrition, and start work as a sports dietitian, but I don't see the need now, to be honest. I think I've cracked the magic nutrition and hydration strategy, so I shall retire now, and write a book about it, and use the profits to enter races. 

The run felt like it was over all too quickly, and soon it was time to cross the line of Kasia's 100th Marathon! Such a magic moment! Massive massive congratulations Kasia - I am so proud of you! Always knew you would do it. Not an easy journey, getting to 100 marathons. It's long (although, it only took you four years!), and at times can be difficult, it should be said. But no obstacle is too big for you, and you have smashed it! Everyone's journey to 100 marathons is different, and unique. But what I definitely know about yours, is that you have taken the time along the way to get to know so many people, and you have put a smile on every single one of the faces you have met, and whenever you are at a race, you always brighten it! The 100 Marathon Club is lucky for sure to have you, and I am lucky to have met you on your journey here! I remember the moment.....The Winter Tanners, LDWA, January 2018......I'd just read the dreaded line on the route description "continue ahead, relentlessly, across 7 fields", and exclaimed loudly to the surrounding mist/ snow/ mud "SEVEN!?" (I may also have said something else, but that's not fit for here). I thought I heard an echo, looked up, and saw another runner just in front of me, also looking at the route description, and wearing the same sort of expression that I was currently feeling. It was Kasia, and the seven fields were a heap better all of a sudden! You were a massive support to me, helping me over those fields, and have been ever since - thank you for being a fabulous friend! 

So, time to do some serious celebrating! Kasia's boyfriend, Jamie, did a brilliant speech and presentation.....

...and there was the biggest cake I've actually ever seen in my life!

As always at running, it was brilliant to spend time with great people. Thanks to everyone for this weekend, it was fabulous as always to see you all. Thanks to the group that I ran with, for a very fun run - great to catch up with old friends, and to make new ones. Thanks White Star Running - first run with you, and won't be the last! 

All too soon, it was time to jump on a train back home.....and it's bye for now, but see ewe next time.....

(baa-d joke, sorry)