Run 3: Severn Bridge Half Marathon

Sunday, 30th August 2015 (09:00am)

Unfortunately he didn't run in this gear...

I will begin this account with complete honesty; I felt entirely unprepared for the first Half Marathon of the campaign and I was genuinely a little worried about what shape I'd be in when I completed it. I had done some training, but owing to a lack of time and a busy schedule, I felt I hadn't quite done enough.

Given that the event was in Chepstow and it started at 9am, I left Swansea at just after 6am - to be sure I'd have time to pick up my race bib, get to the start and be totally prepared. It turns out I was there with more than enough time before the start (a running theme now).

Silly wig? Check!

This particular event was incredibly well organised - as most half marathons tend to be - and had two very large car parks dedicated to its runners. The number of people competing in this event was something just over 2700.

Free lucozade sports were given out (incredibly useful for mid-course hydration) at the event village and there was a really good atmosphere.

The walk from the event village to the start of the race (halfway along the majestic Old Severn Bridge) was about 15 minutes and the course outline promised that towards the end (the 7 mile point) there would be a rather steep hill.

I haven't seen this many people on one bridge since the Lisbon Half Marathon

The course itself was very enjoyable. Crossing the Severn Bridge was windy but offered stunning views over the river Severn and of the backs of the mad scramble of people ahead. After crossing, bilingual signs welcomed us to England where the majority of the run took us around sleepy villages, filled with welcoming and encouraging people who had come out to support.

The organisers of the race had a great sense of humour, from the witty pre-race emails to the signage on the course that at every slight incline warned "This is not the hill" and "this is not the hill either." When the hill eventually came, it was a lot steeper than I anticipated. Neverthless, I ran up every inch of it, having to dodge the walkers who weren't considerate enough to stick to one side.

Halfway through the race, after passing the 7 mile mark, three thoughts hit me;
1. How on earth will I be able to do a marathon; TWICE the distance I'm about to do?
2. How many miles in a kilometre? I know there are roughly 22km in this half marathon, but are there 13 miles in this race? 11? How many miles do I have left?!?!
3. This is amazing. I am running a half marathon and I am not dead.

The answer to the second question was of course 13, and returning to Wales over the Severn Bridge was absolutely elating. One man remarked that the bridge "seemed shorter at the start of the race" and I contemplated using his joke with another runner later on but just pushed myself onwards towards the finish line; dreams of finishing the race with a good time firmly in my sweaty wig-covered head.

At the last 50 metres, I often sprint flat-out to get the best time possible. In the past two runs, I've not really done this. Here, inspired by another runner who had the same idea, I ran as fast as my chunky little legs could carry me and crossed the finish line at just under 1 hour 52 minutes.

Sweaty and happy with my third, and chunkiest, medal so far!

The chip time would later tell me that I had completed the half marathon in 1 hour, 50 minutes and 20 seconds. I discovered a few days later that this time was only one minute slower than my all-time personal best for a half marathon. I firmly believe I can make up that minute in my next half marathon; the Bristol Half Marathon on September 13th. Only time will tell...

Total money raised: £853.90

When nature calls, don't stop running!

Just before my second race, I messaged a friend to complain about an absolute travesty; I needed a pre-run pee, the toilets cost 20p and there was quite a large queue. To paraphrase, my friend's advice was "If you do a Paula Radcliffe, I will disassociate myself with you."

I remembered reading about other Paula Radcliffe-esque moments a while ago and thought that in fact, it takes a very brave person indeed to stop mid-way through a run, have a little poo or pee, and keep on going. I thought I'd compile a very short list to highlight the hilarious bravery of runners in history who have managed this feat that would be seen me completely cut off from my friend.

These stories are ranked in no particular order.

1. Paula Radcliffe - London Marathon 2005

Let it go...

Perhaps the most famous of these examples, and the inspiration for this particular post.

Currently the World Record holder for the fastest women running a Marathon with 2:15:25 (almost faster than my best Half Marathon time) victory set in 2002 in Chicago, Paula Radcliffe caused waves in 2004 when she dropped out of the Marathon at the Athens Olympic Games due to "stomach problems." She had been heavily tipped to win gold.

She responded the following year by vowing to wow at the 2005 London Marathon, and she certainly made the headlines - for all the wrong reasons. 21 miles in to the marathon, Paula stopped and went to the side. Everyone watching through their TVs at home were worried that she had succumbed to the same stomach pains that had ailed her the previous year and was about to drop out. Fortunately, she was just stopping for a quick pee and continued on shortly afterwards. She later blamed the incident on eating too much salmon and gluten-free pasta in her pre-run meal.

Incredibly, she ran on to secure first place (beating second place by five entire minutes) and, despite her pee break, beat the world record for the third best marathon time for women. 

2. Grete Waitz - NYC & London Marathons (dates unknown)

Grete Waitz, from Norway, ran her first marathon in 1978, the New York City marathon. She won with a time of 2:32:30 (then a world record) and accumulated a total 9 NYC marathon wins, as well as a host of other accolades.

She famously battled incontinence during the London marathon as well as the New York City marathon and wrote in her book "Run Your First Marathon" the following graphic non-apologetic description of her troubles;

"One of my most dramatic race stories is also my most awkward. I was in the lead of the
London Marathon when I got an attack of diarrhea... in my mind there was no question: I had
to keep running, despite the shock of onlookers and worse, the television cameras broadcasting
the event to millions of people. It was not a pleasant experience, but winning was.”

Not surprisingly, she won that marathon, and many others, and is said to have inspired Paula Radcliffe - in terms of running, not pooing!

3. Michael Ekvall - Goteburg Half Marathon 2008

The struggle is real...

This image has not only caused amusement to many but it has also spawned a number of memes and demotivational posters. This is the iconic image of young Swedish runner (he was 19 at the time) Michael Ekvall, pushing himself to finish as quick as he could in the Goteburg Half Marathon. Sources aren't clear on what exactly happened - though it's quite clear from the many pictures that are available - but what we do know is that Michael didn't want to stop as it would affect his time. In a post-run interview he was asked if he had considered stopping to have his poo. His response was unashamedly honest;

"No, I'd lose time. If you quit once, it's easy to do it again
 and again and again. It becomes a habit."

He came 21st in that half marathon, with a time of 1:09:43 (not far off my 10km times) and went on to set a Swedish national record at the Copenhagen 2014 half-marathon.

---------------------------------------------------

The lesson to be learnt here is this; if you want to succeed in running and be the best, don't be afraid to have a mid-run poo or pee. It obviously works for some of the greats. However, it works in favour of your public image if you take a few minutes before the run to get your shit sorted.

Run 2: Hyde Park 10km

Sunday, 23rd August 2015 (09:00am)

Owing to a birthday part the previous night, I adopted the tried and tested method of getting the bus to London at 2am and sleeping en route. I groggily arrived at Hyde Park, collected my race number/chip and changed in to my running gear.

Once again my camera does not do Hyde Park any justice at all.

Chilling before the race

What struck me about this event was that it was a little less organised than the previous one. Though it didn't take long to find the camp that had been set up, the start/finish line was a little lacklustre. An elderly gentleman got the crowd fired up through a rather rubbish megaphone that only a few people were actually able to hear. Nonetheless, his welcome to those runners who were new and his appreciation of all the different charities being represented was a nice warmup to the event.

"Middle-aged man" mentioned later is the bald guy in this photo!

Having already written this blog post, lost it, been unable to find it again, and having recently started it again, I'm rather reluctant to write everything I wrote last time (mainly because I can't remember) but the main thing I would like to write about is the inspiring story of a middle-aged man who caught up to me mid-run to congratulate me on my cause.

Owing to the milestone of collecting more than £200 for my second run, I donned the Diabetes UK wig made famous in the South Wales Evening Post article that inspired people to ask "Why were you wearing pants on your head?" This wig made my cause instantly recognisable as I was actually the only one in fancy dress.

This is a wig - not a pair of pants!

My "fancy dress" allowed people to see quite clearly the cause for which I was running. Due to my lack of sleep and general fatigue, I started the run quite slowly. This allowed for something that I rarely have time or lung capacity for; it allowed me to have a chat. Afore-mentioned middle-aged man caught up to me at around 3-4km and told me how he heartily approved of my choice of charity. The man had recently been diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes and had turned to running to try and control it. He told me that through running he had managed to lose 6 stone and it had really had a positive effect on being able to control his diabetes. We talked about the different runs he and I both had planned, and being motivated by his story, I bade him farewell and pressed onwards with my run. After all, I would only do this run once, I might as well get a good time.

At the halfway point, I saw the clock just about tick over to 25:00. This meant if I pushed myself I would be able to beat last week's time of 50:04. Familiar with the course, which lacked any kind of inclines, I pushed onwards and felt even more motivated when, inspired by my diabetes wig-hat-thing, a woman whooped "Go Diabetes!" at me (it could've been worded better...).

Happy with my second medal

My final time was a quite impressive 48 minutes and 14 seconds, 4 minutes off my personal best.

Total money raised: £643.32

Run 1: BHF Greenwich Park Run

Saturday, 15th August 2015 (10:30am)

My first run of the campaign took place in an area of London I'm quite fond of; Greenwich. I'd been there a number of times the previous year, principally to see Monty Python reunite at the O2 arena. I had never, however, been to Greenwich Park.

The logistics of my travelling to London were a little complex. In order to save money, I had decided to travel up on Friday, stay with a friend for free, do the run on Saturday morning and then return that afternoon. Due to a miscommunication with dates, I was unable to stay with my friend and didn't fancy forking out for a hotel. As such, I left Swansea on the National Express at 2am, changed at Heathrow at 7am, and arrived in London Victoria at 8am. After a number of tube connections, I arrived in Greenwich with plenty of time to spare at 9ish.

My camera skills didn't do justice to the spectacular views over London

Set up and ready; just needs runners!

Greenwich Park was easy to find, and it really was quite lovely. The park was bigger than I expected, and it took a little longer than I anticipated to find "the Bandstand" where BHF had set up their bold red camp, ready for the race.

I wasn't the only one running!

At this point I should mention that I was operating on very little sleep (I got about 3 hours on the bus) but I was very pumped to be there and doing my first run.

I arrived about an hour before the run was due to kick off. There were lots of volunteers on hand but very few runners. I was worried. I took the time to talk to some of the volunteers and scope out the event; there were no running chips but there was a running clock - I made a note of this so I would be able to record my time later. They were giving out race t-shirts and I dutifully went to pick one up but purposefully didn't wear it for two reasons; firstly, I wanted to stand out in the inevitable sea of red t-shirts, and secondly, I wasn't even raising money for the British Heart Foundation and didn't want to seem false. In my defense, I have participated in and raised money for BHF events in the past and it is a charity that has a special place in my heart (pardon the pun) but for me the focus is very much on Diabetes at the moment.

A hearty bit of face-painting

The lack of people, the lack of sleep and the solo DJ-esque figure on the microphone trying to get a non-existent crowd pumped up was a little disheartening. Although I wasn't wearing a red BHF t-shirt, I decided to participate in some way and after donating some spare coins to the charity, I volunteered to have my face-painted with some lovely little hearts.

These hearts later merged with my sweat to create a stain of blood face-paint along the side of my face. Whilst on the tube returning home, a concerned stranger asked if I was ok, pointing out the obvious bloodstains on my face.


At 09:45, the 1k fun-run kicked off. The future Mo Farahs and Usain Bolts of the world set off from the start line for a little stretch around the block. One particularly adorable youngster looked as if he had only just started walking, let alone running.

At 10:15, all the runners were called to the Bandstand, where the previously-mentioned DJ-guy was still trying to get everyone pumped up. This is where the real magic happened. What had previously been a small handful of people quite quickly turned in to a really large collection of people, all with their own different reasons for running. We were given a few generic speeches and then introduced to two young boys (around 4 and 6) whose grandfather had suffered heart problems his entire life. In voices trembling with excitement, authority and nerves, they thanked us for running, told us to have fun and filled mostly everyone's face with a smile. Then their grandfather came to thank the BHF, and us, the fundraisers (me guiltily lowering my gaze), for enabling him to live long enough, despite his heart conditions, so that he could see his children, and grandchildren, grow up around him.

A few more people this time; now it's a race!

Then it was off to the start line to wait for the 10 second countdown and begin. My usual race strategy is to start somewhere in middle, or towards the back. The reason for this is because I push myself to overtake people and I feel better when I do, so having people in front who I can soon overtake is incredibly motivating.

As I crossed the start line, I noted the time 00:00:24. As there were no timing chips, I would need to remember to take 24 seconds off my final time.

The beginning of the race was, much like most races, a scramble to weave through the slow runners and find the runners of the same pace. This continued for the first kilometre or two until we got to the first hill. I must admit that I was rather unprepared for this first hill, as were a large number of people. I simply didn't expect it. Some people just didn't abide it, and started walking. This was my first boost of motivation, passing a throng of people on the first hill, before 2km.

The route was well laid-out, with distance markers every kilometre, adequate signposts and ample number of volunteers. Over the course, spectators shouted encouragement and clapped. Just before the fourth kilometre mark was another hill. Again, I passed a few older people on this hill and this gave me confidence. My mood was soured when on a number of corner-turns, I noticed a girl ahead of me cutting the corners.

After 5km, it was one more lap of the same circuit on the road to 10km. I noticed, as I passed the start line, that the clock was at just over 25 minutes. I would need to pick up the pace if I wanted a sub-50m time. The rest of the 5km was routine; I slowly overtook people on the first hill, was overtaken by a large number of people on one straight, but caught up with them at the next straight. As I reached the last hill, and the last 2km, I had two goals; overtake the guy in the bright yellow t-shirt and that bitch who kept cutting corners. I overtook the guy on the last hill, and heard his howls of rage fading in to the distance behind me (actually, he was panting a lot from the difficulty of the hill). After cresting the hill, I saw her. Gracefully running in front of me, she leapt care-free over the grass, forgetting entirely about the path and the route marker. I scowled as I ran dutifully around the marker points. I found it hard to slowly make up the distance between us and then she did it again. By this point I was livid and there was less than one kilometre to go.

00:50:28 on the clock!

My tactic is usually to save a sprint for the last kilometre or two, but here I was out of energy. In the last 500m, telling myself I must beat this girl who has no respect for the rules of the running route, I pushed myself and, with a cocky grin on my face, overtook her, sprinting through to the finish-line.

I hastily took a really bad quality picture of the clock as I crossed the finish line, noting that my time was 50 minutes and 28 seconds. Taking my 24-second delayed start off the clock left me with a rather disappointing 50:04 (5 seconds slower than what I would have liked!)

Overall, the first run was very positive. The sun was shining, the atmosphere was great, the scenery was beautiful, and the time really wasn't terrible. The course itself was a little hilly, with some winding routes. There was just enough variety to make it challenging and fun without it being difficult.

By the end of the day, the total raised was £89.32, which was unfortunately a little short of the £100 target I had anticipated.

Total money raised: £89.32

What is 30 for 30?

What is 30 for 30 for DiabetesUK?
30 for 30 is a fundraising campaign which aims to raise £3000 for DiabetesUK through running. The challenge is to run 30 different competitive (and some fun) runs before my 30th birthday in June 2016.

Why?
This is a very common question; why Diabetes? Why running? Why 30 runs? Why bother?
The answers will be split up in to their different questions.

Why diabetes?
Diabetes is a subject that has always been very close to my heart. My mother has suffered from Type-1 diabetes since she was 16. My brother was diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes on his 18th birthday. Both control it with daily insulin injections but it has an obviously adverse effect on their lives and touches on the lives of others. It is thought that 1 in 17 people in the UK have diabetes. 90% of these cases are Type-2, which is often linked to obesity. According to my doctor, I am obese, as are 25% of the British population. This figure is set to rise to 50% by 2050. Consequently, cases of diabetes are also due to increase.

Why running?
I started running seriously in 2013 and raised £200 for DiabetesUK for my first half-marathon. Running is something that everyone can do.  It's easy to pick up, you need no technical equipment and it's a great way to get fit. Through running, I aim to show people that if I can do it, and do it to a reasonable standard, then anyone can. If anyone can get up and go running, then anyone can reduce their risk of diabetes. Running is also very identifiable. There are lots of running events throughout the UK and the world.

Why 30 runs?
Since starting running it has been something of a dream of mine to run the London Marathon, or to at least run ONE marathon before my 30th birthday. Following on from this, I decided that the noble thing to do would be to raise money by running the London Marathon. Unfortunately, I missed the boat on registering for the London Marathon so I decided to push my own proverbial boat out and do MORE. By running 30 runs before I'm 30, I'm setting a very personal and very serious challenge. Over 9 months, this equates to 1.2 runs per week. This means that some weeks I will be running two different events. Also, 30's a nice round number.

Why bother?
I ask this question a lot of myself and other people. To be honest, collecting money for charity isn't easy, and it's not fun. Asking people to part with their hard-earned cash is difficult - I wouldn't usually part with mine. In the Spring, I met someone who spent a lot of time volunteering in South Africa, to the point where they sacrificed parts of their own health or happiness to make sure that those who had had very disadvantaged lives could improve their situation and become happier and more stable because of it. This absolute selflessness was as inspiring as it was humbling. Unfortunately, I don't have the time, money, patience or selflessness to do the same thing, but I want to at least make some kind of difference to people who need care. DiabetesUK offers this kind of care to a lot of people who suffer from diabetes or who are affected by it.

One of my personal philosophies is that, in life lots of small things always add up to make a big thing. 30 small runs, countless small donations, and short bursts of support can all make a massive difference to those who need it.