What’s a runner without any races?

For me, my busiest racing period ever was the 8 months from September 2011 to May 2012. During that time I ran:

17 Sep 2011 – Dublin Half Marathon
13 Nov 2011 – Poppy Half Marathon (Bexhill)
20 Nov 2011 - Old Deer Park 10K (Richmond)
07 Jan 2012 - Southern California Half Marathon(Irvine)
19 Feb 2012 – Brighton Half Marathon
04 Mar 2012 - Regent's Park 10K
24 Mar 2012 - Maxifuel Half Marathon (Dorney Lake, Windsor)
27 May 2012 - Edinburgh - 4:49:28 (PB)

Part of the reason for this was my obsession with running a sub-2 half. The other reason was because I enjoyed it! Races were no longer scary events that I knew nothing about. The whole race day routine became normal—I knew how to prepare and what was going to happen. Easy!

While I’m very proud of all the races I did during that time, @brazilliangunner pointed out that one of the reasons why I might not have cracked that 2 hour mark was because I was racing too much, and that I should focus on a few big races a year. TBH at the time I was doing a lot of running and enjoying the races too much to think about it. But now as I struggle to find time for my training, it feels like the right thing to do.

Last week, I signed up for the Brighton Half Marathon. There have been some serious organizational issues every time I’ve run it (Conegate, anyone?), but it’s my home race and what could be easier than hopping over to the start line a few miles away?

I had originally planned to focus on 2-3 big events next year, one being a marathon. But after I didn’t get into London I decided that I would just wait for now, and see how things were going after the Brighton Half. Besides, at the moment just getting through a half marathon training plan will feel like an accomplishment.

For the first time in a long time I will have only 1 race on my calendar. It feels strange and kind of lazy, but for me it’s the right thing. I will be able to focus on getting that balance between running and work, and I hope I find it in the end.


So what’s a runner without any races?


A runner who is trying to find her running self again!

Twitter wisdom for first-time marathoners

Before I ran my first marathon in Edinburgh, I asked Twitter one question:

What is the one thing you wish you knew before you ran your first marathon?

I was lucky to get lots of interesting responses and advice, including an entire race day guide from the amazing @braziliangunner! (If you are interested, check out his comments on this page.) So as promised, here are the things the wise Twitter Running Family recommended the most:

Top 5 Tips for First Time Marathoners

5. Don't stress or panic, either during the taper or the race. Try to stay calm--the stress won't help you. @nylonruns said ' I wish I'd known how much I would enjoy it, I wouldn't have stressed so much!' 

4. Hydrate properly. Hydrate enough but not too much, and make sure you take some salts to prevent cramps.

3. Understand how you should fuel for the race. Nutrition is an important part of running a marathon, and lots of people said you should test this beforehand and know what works best for you. @brazilliangunner put it best: 'If you get carbload + race day nutrition right you won't hit the wall, as simple as that.'

2. Don't go too fast at the start. It's so much harder to stick with your pace and go slow at the start of a marathon. But as @mikew30 said 'Go off slower than you want to and if the first few miles feel the right pace, it's not slow enough. If it feels slow, it still probably isn't slow enough.'

1. Enjoy the experience. This is what most marathoners said BY FAR. As @ruggedradnage said, 'You'll never have another first! :)'

These were the tips I heard most often but I also got other great advice:

@rhianonruns: During your taper spend all the time you would usually be running on stretching

@runreadrant: Trust your training!

@mikew30: Wear a vest with your name on the front so people shout your name

@_martyn_fisher: Remember during the hard bits that loads of people are rooting for you

@runlikeacoyote: After...keep walking and moving. It really helps keep you from stiffening up

So now that I've run my first marathon, what's my tip?

Run with someone during the race if you can. I usually train alone these days so I never thought much about this at all. But I was very lucky that an experienced runner found me during the race and I think it made a difference! Running with that nice lady forced me to focus on my pace (and make sure I wasn't getting carried away). Best of all, it meant that I didn't feel quite so alone during the tougher moments. So if you can find a friend to run with you that's great. But if not, try to tag along!

All the advice really helped me to feel both physically and psychologically ready for the Edinburgh Marathon. So a big THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to share their wisdom!

And if you are running your first marathon (or thinking about it), I hope these tips will be as helpful to you as they were for me!

Review: Edinburgh Marathon - 27 May 2012

This is a few weeks late after traveling for work last week....but I just HAD TO review my first marathon!

After a rocky return back to the working world and long hours the last few months, Edinburgh Marathon really snuck up on me. While I was able to get my 20 mile runs in, my overall mileage each week wasn't very consistent and nothing compared to what I was running before March. But it was my first marathon and all I wanted to do was finish. I wasn't as nervous as I could have been because I had no pressure to beat a time. A nice feeling after struggling to break 2 hours in the half.

Hubs and I flew to Edinburgh the day before the race and were greeted by beautiful sunshine when we arrived. We had a great pre-marathon day. We wandered around the city and then gave my legs a rest by watching 'The Avengers Assemble' in 3D. That evening we had an early dinner (spaghetti and meatballs for me!) before chilling in our room and an early night.

The Edinburgh Marathon started at a very civilized 10am (the half marathon started at 8am) so I was up and eating breakfast at 7am. It gave me enough time to relax a bit in the hotel room before getting geared up for the race. Our hotel was just off the Royal Mile which meant a very short walk to the start line at Regent Road.