the longest mile

As you might remember from last time I had a bit of a set back with an injury to my foot. It really put the whole run in jeopardy. Despite all the training I have done in the past year there is no way I was going to risk a permanent injury. However I didn't want to let down the people who had sponsored me throughout my training too. My total stands at this point at £741 and you can still sponsor me here hint hint, lol.

I didn't run at all until the Sunday before the Great North Run. The crutches were a complete pain, making my shoulders and back ache but they were a necessary evil. On the Sunday before the Great North Run I did a slow paced 5k run to test my foot, and despite it being a couple of minutes slower than my usual 5k time I got round without any reaction to my injury. For the rest of the week I continued to rest and made sure I didn't stress the foot any further.

On the Saturday night I taped my foot and ankle with KT tape  and taped my toes which are prone to blisters. I felt like a bairn at christmas when I went to bed. I had asked my pal Graham to give me an alarm call at 6.30am if he hadn't heard from me before that to make sure I didn't sleep in. I was full of nerves and excitement and could I sleep? Could I heck! I was up and down like a yo-yo and was really hacked off by 3am. I was sure I would have trouble getting up when my alarm went off at 6am.

However when my alarm went off I was up and raring to go. I had my shower then my porridge and coffee and was out the door to catch the metro at 8am to meet my other friend Karen in Newcastle.

So many people were on Northumberland Street in Newcastle when I emerged from Monument metro. I saw teddy bears, batman and robin, cavemen and runners in all sorts of charity vests and t-shirts as well as the club runners making their way up to the start line. Despite being in Newcastle early I managed to miss the baggage bus by 1 minute, and had to put my bag into the late van!

After hugging Karen, who was in another pen, I made my way into my area and wandered about until I found a space that felt right. I got talking to a few girls around me who were psyching themselves up for the run and for once I actually joined in the warmup. We all agreed that we had a massive amount of butterflies in our stomach. Just before the race began the Red Arrows flew overhead which was immense.

It took a while to walk to the start line but with each step my nerves seemed to decrease. And then we were off. Along the central motorway with people already cheering us on and I felt good. Running through the tunnelled parts chants of "Oggy Oggy Oggy" were met with "Oi Oi Oi" and a mile flew past. Before I knew it I was at the Tyne Bridge, and I actually got goosebumps as I ran over the iconic landmark and was through the 2 mile point with ease and heading towards Gateshead International Stadium.

At 3 miles I took my first energy gel and grabbed a bottle of water at the drinks station to wash it down. The people at the sides of the road clapped and cheered us on despite the drizzly rain. Four miles down and I was actually enjoying the run. Then at just before five miles I felt a twinge in my foot, I managed to get to 5 miles in 55 minutes which was a cracking time but my foot was starting to really hurt.

I decided to walk for a while and see what happened. I walked for about 100m then started jogging again, and basically this was my strategy for the next 8 miles. I would run for as far as I could before the pain in my foot would force me to walk for a while. I knew my brilliant first 5 miles had been whittled away by the injury but still hoped to get to the finish before the 3 hour mark. My friend Ali would be between the 10 and 11 mile point and so I focused on getting there, getting a hug and a pep talk and making it to the end of the run.

Each mile was becoming harder and harder as not only the pain in my foot increased but my toes started to blister too. I kept overtaking people around me, but would be overtaken back by them when I walked and then overtake them again when I ran again. At 8 miles I took another energy gel and got a bottle of water and a hug from British Paralympian and one of my sporting heroines, Tanni Grey-Thompson. That was a massive boost for me. As the roundabout approached where Ali would be I spotted her immediately and ran to get a hug. I can remember saying "Ali I'm struggling" but I can't remember what she said to me, but it gave me a boost. She got her lads to unwrap some chewy sweets for me to carry with me to keep me going, got me psyched up again, took a couple of photos and then I was away again.

Each step was now agony. I passed through mile 11, the Killer hill, and on to mile 12. There is a steep downhill section before you turn on to the sea front. I tried to run this, but the force of going downhill on my foot was too much and I was slowed to a walk again. A lass in front of me was running well when all of a sudden she pulled up too. By the looks of it something in her knee had gone and she just about collapsed. St Johns Ambulance were soon with her but as I passed her she was protesting that she would be finishing.

Turning on to the sea front I passed the mile 12 point and knew I was nearly finished. However I think it is the longest mile I have ever done. It just seemed to go on and on and on. I was definitely on empty. Each step now felt like I was treading on glass, my toes were blistered, my foot was shooting a sharp pain through it whenever I put weight on it. I was trying to concentrate on anything other than the pain, and looked for my family in the crowds, as I knew they would be at the end of the run somewhere.

As I approached the end of the run I could see the finish line, and putting in one last burst of effort crossed the line, forgetting to stop my garmin as I did! DUH! The feeling of elation was something I can't describe. I had done it. My mobile phone buzzed and my official time came through and it was 3 hours 8 mins and 42 seconds. Slower than I had hoped but considering I had struggled for 8 miles, missing my goal of 2 hours 45 minutes by 23 minutes was nothing. I had done it!

The longest walk of my life then ensued as I made my way from the finish line to the T-shirt point. I limped my way to the goody bag point and on to the exit towards the NSPCC marquee when I saw my brother and his lass. The hug he gave me has never felt so welcoming. He grabbed hold of me and just about carried me to the tent, where my mam was waiting with a coffee and a massive hug that nearly suffocated me. The NSPCC team were giving out bananas, donuts, coffees and more importantly massages and I got my calves immediately massaged while my friends Clare and Barry who had just finished too came and chatted but I'm not too sure I was good company at that point lol.

I still cannot believe that I have completed a half marathon. It has amazed me that a lass who couldn't easily walk 2 miles 18 months ago has completed 13 miles. I need to rest my foot for a while but I will be back and on to my next fundraising project soon.

Last minute setback

For the last 15 months I have been training hard to both lose weight and get myself fit enough to run the Great North Run, and I can't count the hours and miles I have put in so that I reach my goal on September 16th. I've lost 58lbs in weight and so many people have sponsored me on my Justgiving page here that not only did I raise the £400 required by the NSPCC but I blasted through my own £500 target and am now at 125% of my target. I want to thank everyone who has donated money, each donation has shown me that people believe in me.

Over the last year, though, I have had a recurring nightmare that I would injure myself just before the big day and not be able to run. I have been pretty lucky when it comes to injuries this year, nothing more than a few pulled muscles and nasty blisters have hit me. But just when I thought I was home free, two weeks ago I suddenly felt a sharp stabbing pain in my foot while I was out running with Tyne Bridge Harriers.  I managed to finish the session, got home and immediately iced my foot with my medicinal broccoli.

However the pain and swelling in my foot didn't subside as quickly as I would have liked. I am sure runners will know exactly what I mean when I say I didn't want to get my foot checked out, for fear of being told it was a serious injury and that I wouldn't be able to run. However after a week of painkillers, rest and ice the pain in my foot was too much to bear. The result:

Possible stress fracture, foot immobilised and crutches. I was devastated! However it was exactly what my foot needed. Being immobilised and with the aid of the crutches I have felt a massive improvement in it, and have managed to go through today without the crutches. The pain has subsided so much, and while my calf and Achilles feel a bit tight I am a lot more hopeful of running a week on Sunday.

I am not going to risk a more serious injury, if there is any doubt in my mind at all I won't run, however I am not prepared to just sit on my backside and mope about it.

I got a tweet off a follower who asked me to consider entering a piece to Sky Tyne and Wear about why I am doing the Great North run and I am going to. I feel that I have a duty to pass on my experience of losing weight and getting fit to others. I am no different to anyone else who struggles to lose weight. The thing I discovered was that I had to have goals and determination to get where I want to be and if I could help other people realise that with effort and belief they can get to where they want to get to then it would make my achievements all the sweeter.

So for the next 10 days I am concentrating on cycling, resting and hopefully I will be lining up in Newcastle on September 16th to achieve a lifetime goal. Keep everything crossed for me.

Another chapter written.

It's 7 weeks until the Great North Run. It's hard to imagine that. Time has flown so quickly since the start of the year, when the half marathon seemed so far away. Last weekend saw my last 10k before the Great North Run, when I completed the Great North 10k around Gateshead and the south side of the Quayside. I wanted to push for a new 10k PB as I had felt so strong in my previous runs.

The organisation in Great Run races always seems to be spot on. From race numbers with your names printed on, information in booklets with course maps, travel details and clear sign posting on the day, to plenty of friendly marshals and a blooming marvellous goody bag at the end their races might seem more expensive than others of similar distances but you do get a lot for your money.

The race started outside Gateshead International Stadium. I knew quite a few people who were doing the run but saw only a couple of faces before hand. One of those was my good friend, and inspiration, Graham Smith who is aiming to run 2012 miles in 2012. He has been struggling with an injury recently and I hoped he had a good run around the course.

When we went to line up there was the usual aerobic style warmup. I really don't like these. My coordination is pretty poor and I can guarantee while everyone else is going left I'll be going right, or something daft like that. So I decided to have a quick jog around the back of the section. There were several lasses who obviously needed to powder their noses pre-race but rather than risk missing the start had just walked to the back of the starting section, whipped their shorts down and were watering the grass verges. I can't say it's something I would fancy doing myself but if you need to go I guess you need to go.

The race was set off in different groups so that the faster runners weren't held back by the plodders. We were "entertained" by someone from the local radio station before it was our time to go. By the time we were about to start it had just started to rain but the sky was promising it would just be a shower so it wasn't going to be a repeat of the Blaydon Swim Race. We set off and it wasn't half a mile in before I was passing people who were walking already. The course wound its way through a lovely industrial type park before heading down to the River Tyne. I wasn't wearing headphones today as I wanted to try and take in the atmosphere by the river and while I had my Garmin on I had promised myself I wouldn't look at it until close to the end. Even so I knew that my first mile seemed fast but not to a point where I was uncomfortable.

We got to the riverside right by the Baltic Art Gallery and I suddenly heard people shouting my name. It was my friends, Alison and Jos who had brought their families down to cheer me on. It's such a massive boost to have people cheering for you. I ran on past the millennium bridge and past the Tyne Bridge when someone tapped on my shoulder. I was wearing a sign that comes with the number for the race saying that I had lost over 4 stone in weight. Someone behind me had read it and was congratulating me. It wasn't long before someone else did the same thing again. And again. In total about 7 or 8 people congratulated me mid-run for losing weight and running. It certainly put a massive spring in my step.

Just before the 5k point the course turned back along the way it had come and we were heading back past the Swing Bridge, the Tyne Bridge, past the Sage building and back along past the Baltic. Again my friends Alison and Jos were putting their massive voices to good use, and I also saw Micky, my coach from Tyne Bridge Harriers.

After hi-5'ing Jos I headed along back towards the stadium. I was feeling really strong until the 8k point. I don't know whether it was the weather, the course or just fatigue but I knew I was starting to find it harder and I had the dreaded hill to come. When I looked later I was on for completely smashing my PB up until the last mile. Then I had a shocker. In the last km there is a hill which is a killer when your legs are zapped I just couldn't get myself up that hill running and I ended up walking. I was furious with myself! There were definitely some swear words used as I stomped up the incline. Once I got to the top I had to start running again, and my hips were feeling stiff. But I was determined to get across that line. Powered on by anger or frustration or something I kept putting one foot in front of the other. A lass was struggling outside the stadium and I spoke to her and said "come on pet, run with me." Entering the stadium was great, I immediately spotted my mam, eldest daughter and my brother who were there to cheer me home. It's amazing to know you are running on the same track as so many running greats, and rounding the bend with less than 150m to go I said to the lass, "Howay, it's just a Usain Bolt distance now." With about 30 metres or less to go we grabbed each others hands and crossed the line together. I had missed a PB by 18 seconds and was annoyed at first but then realised that I had done it. Another 10k under my belt!

At the water point I saw Rob and Anji from Tyne Bridge Harriers who were helping out, which was lovely, although I did try and concuss Rob by hitting him with a full water bottle when giving him a hug. Sorry Rob! And so I have the pride of completing another race. Wearing another T-Shirt that shows I have done it, getting another medal which I'll keep forever (I do love a medal).

Who gave the idiot a foil blanket!

Friday saw the biggest occasion of the year for me so far. On Friday 27th July I reached 3 years sober. I've spoken about my drinking before. How hard it was to stop. How life has changed since I made that decision. But this year was different. When I mentioned that the date was coming up my friend Elaine organised a party for me. It was so lovely that my friends wanted to celebrate my sobriety with me. We went to Mamma Mia's in Newcastle, had a great meal, a fantastic laugh and I spent time with people who mean so much to me. Life is barely recognisable from what it was 3 years ago. I feel healthier, I feel stronger, I feel that I have people in my life who genuinely care about me. It's not about dulling the senses with alcohol, it's not about pushing the self destruct button randomly. Life is now about making a success of myself, having goals that I'm achieving and enjoying the time I have with my girls and my friends and family. Life is precious.

Constantly improving

The last fortnight has been magnificent in terms of running. First up was the Jane Tomlinson 10k.  Jane Tomlinson was a truly inspirational woman. Diagnosed with breast cancer and given 12 months to live in 2000, Jane defied all the doctors predictions and competed in the London Marathon twice, the New York Marathon, two London Triathlons and cycled over Europe and the USA. She raised a remarkable  £1.85 million for charity. Her "run for all" races in Leeds, York and Hull live on as a testimony to a wonderful woman.

It was certainly the biggest race I have ran in up to now. The day dawned and the sun shone for Jane. In fact it was a beautiful summers day in what has been undoubtedly the wettest summer in years. As I made my way to Millennium Square in Leeds I was looking forward to the run, hoping for a good time.  The groups for the start were banded into "runners', "joggers" and walkers. I was in the middle section.

The start was very crowded, and there was a real jostle for places in the first mile. Elbows were certainly being employed as people fought for a space to run in. This wasn't helped by people who were obviously planning to walk the run starting with the joggers, and trying to manoeuvre around people strolling 5 abreast was not easy. However I managed the first mile in 10 minutes 13 seconds and from there the field certainly thinned out.

The event is certainly well planned. The marshals are along there with the best I have experienced so far, friendly and encouraging and the first 3 miles passed in a very pleasing 31 minutes and 54 seconds. The day was warm and there were water stations every two miles, which was very welcome and I managed to drink on the run without sluicing out my sinuses and then poured some water over my head which helped cooling me down

I definitely felt myself tiring by the end of the race despite the course being flat and the last mile seemed to drag. The finish line was back at the Headrow in Leeds and it seemed like there was always another corner to turn. I heard someone shout "Howay Geordie" as I passed them. Wearing my Tyne Bridge Harriers shirt definitely helped and I crossed the line in a PB of 1 hour 10 minutes and 30 seconds, a cracking 4 minutes faster than my previous 10k time.

With my medal after finishing

There wasn't much of a rest for me, with Tyne Bridge Harriers hosting their first ever "Bridges of the Tyne" run the next Tuesday. A lot of planning has gone into this 5 mile run and I felt honoured to be one of the small group of participants to take part in the inaugeral event. Meeting up with my friends Paul and Karen at the Tyne Bar, we found that the registration point was well manned and got very busy before the start. 

We walked along to the Pitcher and Piano on Newcastle Quayside as a group and it wasn't long before we were on our marks, set, GO! I had agreed to run with my great friend Davina. It's lovely to be able to run with someone who you can have a good natter with and enjoy the time. As the speedy gonzaleses flew away, Davina and I were running at a steady pace and got through the first mile in 10 minutes 57 seconds. Considering my legs, and especially my quads, were still aching from Sunday I was delighted with this. As we were approaching the mile and a half point the front runners were already coming back, and words of encouragement flew between both groups. 

The second mile approached just before a small climb up into the business park before a greasy run, partly on grass then down a few steps before ending up back down at the riverside. We reached the 3 mile point in 34 minutes and 36 seconds and I was feeling strong. The more I ran the easier my legs were feeling. There was plenty of encouragement from members of the public as we ran back towards the Tyne and Millennium Bridges. At this point I started pulling away from Davina, as I was feeling very strong in the final mile. I picked up my pace and as I was nearing the finish line I looked at my Garmin, and saw it had just gone past the 59 minute mark. I told myself that I could get there under the hour and started sprinting. 

So fast I am blurry lol. 

With Karen, Paul and the others gathered at the finish line cheering me on I crossed over the line in 59 minutes 53 seconds. I was absolutely delighted! Two races in two days with great times. I had thoroughly enjoyed both races and hope that Tyne Bridge Harriers will be making this run an annual event. It's now 9 weeks until the Great North Run and these races have definitely been great preparation for the big one. Next up is the Great North 10k and I am hoping for a solid performance in that too. Til next time....keep on keeping on! 

13.1 miles or bust

Ahhh depression, my arch nemesis. You stride into my life again! Yup, just as I thought things were going hunky dory then my little black rain cloud found me for another week or so of trying times. I knew that it was basically a time for me to lick my wounds for a little while, take it easy and then power back into real life and get on with it.

I got all my exam results back and passed my first year at University. To say I am proud of that is an understatement. I was dreading an August return for resits as it would clash with the bairns' summer holidays and revision would be nigh on impossible with the children around. But I passed all exams and can now relax over the summer and recharge the batteries ready for September and year 2.

The running took a back seat for the week where I didn't feel too well. I was elated after the Blaydon Race and had hoped to capitalise on a great run with some more excellent training, but when you haven't got the energy to do much more than drag yourself out of bed each day running has to take a spell on the back burner.

However I managed to try a run last Tuesday, got half a mile into it, felt my nose running and went to wipe it. I was surprised to see blood, and then realised that I was having the mother of all nosebleeds for no apparent reason. There was no stopping the blood and I knew my run was going to be postponed when someone on a bike asked me if I was going to be ok. When I got back home I looked as if I had survived the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. No point in keeping the t-shirt, into the bin it went, and off I went into the shower.

The next day I went out again. This time there was no Freddy Kruger victim impressions, just a nice 5km run to get me back into the swing of running and I knew I felt much better. I found myself agreeing to attempt a 13.1 mile run on the Saturday as part of the Longest Day Run event.  The next day I got a solid 5 mile run in and felt great.

I felt the nerves kick in on the Friday night, what the heck had I agreed to do? My longest run so far was 8 miles and that was a couple of months ago. What made me think I could run 13.1 miles yet? I went to Sweatshop in the Metrocentre and bought some gels and some lucozade Jelly beans to try out on my run. I was happy to see a Blue Lamp Foundation collection tin in the shop too.

I was up bright and early on the Saturday Morning and headed to Byker Pool to meet my running partners Graham and Brian. Graham is running 2012 miles in 2012 for the Tony Blair Foundation and is an all round nice guy to boot. I had only met Brian once before but he seemed like a friendly chap, although for some reason I thought he was called Billy all day and kept calling him that, lol.

We set off at a very easy pace. From the Pool we headed down towards the River Tyne and along the Quayside, past the Millenium, Tyne and Swing Bridges and along the front of the Copthorne Hotel before heading up towards the Scotswood road through the business park. Four miles were already in the bag, and I took one of the energy gels I had bought. My goodness, they are an aquired taste!

As we were running along the Scotswood road I would love to say that I remembered the Blaydon Race from the previous blog posting, but seeing as I couldn't see a blooming thing on that run due to the rain I couldn't. The lads were great company, chatting, keeping the mileage updated and being really positive.

Up and over the Scotswood bridge, and onto the south side of the Tyne. We were closing in on the half way point and I can't think of a time I have been as happy to set foot on the south side of the river. We had broken the back of the run now, we were heading back towards Newcastle and here was the time to dig in and run.

We passed the Metro Centre, all chewed a few lucozade jelly beans, and headed into Dunston. I found that I had a claggy mouth, due to the gels and the lucozade isotonic drink I was supping and so we had a 2 minute pit stop while Graham bought a bottle of water. I knew I needed water as I had been fantasising about soda water for the past half a mile, while Brian said he was looking forward to a Strongbow!

I then found that it's easy to just keep running than trying to restart after a brief stop. I can only describe it as trying to get an old motorbike to start again. After a brief splutter my legs started again, and we headed along to the riverside. I could see the bridges up ahead and knew that we would be around the 10 mile mark when we got to the swing bridge.

My legs were still feeling ok at this point, breathing fine, but I knew I was starting to feel a bit tired. I was now concentrating on the end of the run rather than just enjoying the run, as I had been up to that point. We ran along the south side of the river, along passed the Sage and then across the Millenium bridge. More water was needed and we had a quick stop at the Tesco behind the court. Then off towards the back of the Copthorne Hotel, and 11 miles was clocked up. I told Graham not to tell me how far we had run until we got to 12 miles, as I was starting to really struggle now.

Along the Quayside once again, past the swing bridge, under the Tyne bridge, passed the Pitcher and Piano and the Millenium bridge again. Passed the 12 mile mark. And then disaster. My head said "NO MORE!" We were at 12.3 miles, less than a mile to go and I had stopped. My legs felt like lead, my head was saying "You can't go on" I felt like crying. Graham and Brian came back and really gave me a good pep talk. I just had to tell myself that I could do it. Less than a mile. HOWAY THE LASS!!!

And with determination from somewhere, I don't know where, I put one foot in front of the other. I dug deep and just let the lads go in front of me. They kept calling back to me, but I wasn't really sure what was being said, I was just in a place where there was just me, just one foot in front of the other, each step getting me closer to the end of the run. And then Graham and Brian had created a finish line and said "All the way across the line" and as I staggered past them I realised I had done it! 13.1 miles! I had made it!

A look at Brian's Garmin told me a time of 2 hours 54 mins and 27 seconds. Under 3 hours! I couldn't believe it! For a lass who couldn't run for more than 30 seconds at a time last August finishing my first half marathon distance run was mind-blowing. And I have 3 months until the Great North Run to improve my time.

Graham and me after finishing the 13.1 miles. 

My legs felt like cement from the minute I stopped running. We finished just beside where the Evolution festival is held and had to walk back up the hill to Byker pool, my little legs were screaming out in agony with each step, I could feel blisters on my left foot, one which popped as I was walking back. But I had done it, the elation of completing the longest run of my life made each step bearable. Thank you Graham and (Billy) Brian who carried me, metaphorically, to the finish. I now know that I can do the full half-marathon distance, I now know that come September I WILL finish the Great North Run!

Ohhhh me lads....

Wow, what a busy month I've had. I've completed all my exams at uni and had all the results back bar one and to say I'm delighted with them is an understatement. I've got 3 firsts, two 2.1's and a 2.2. Considering how nervous I felt before them I am really amazed by the results back. I also have a really good idea of where I need to work harder next year.

Running has been a mixed bag this month. The Clive Cookson 10k was an eye-opener. The weather was unbelievably hot and I hadn't felt confident about running the race at all. I have gastritis and duodenitis and had felt poorly for a couple of days before the run. I got to the two and a half mile point and really didn't know if I could get round the course. However I kept going and eventually finished. The reception I got from my running club, Tyne Bridge Harriers, was amazing. My friend, Tony, ran the last part of the run with me shouting me on. It meant so much. I didn't even know what time I finished in as I had stopped my watch at the two and a half mile point. I felt like it had taken forever. I found out the next day that I had ran the course in 1hr 21 mins. I was pleased in a way, my first ever 10k was 1hr 19 mins and this was only my 3rd ever 10k. However I know I can do way better than that.

I reached 2 years 10 months sober in the last couple of weeks. In February 2011 I took part in Victoria Derbyshire's radio show on BBC5 live speaking about alcoholism. Victoria had a recap show with a doctor called "Rachel" who I am delighted to say is now 3 months sober and I was invited back to speak to "Rachel" and update everyone on how I was doing. I had the opportunity to sit and reflect on how far my life has come in the last year.

Since that show I have lost 4 stone in weight. I applied for and got accepted at University. I started running in August. I joined the running club. These are massive things, and add on top of that living with a mental health condition which affects my mood, cyclically, suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, social anxiety, boughts of agoraphobia, noise sensitivity and then also being a single parent to three amazingly brilliant but demanding children and I have to admit I had a few tears. But they are tears of happiness. I know that I am being the best I can be, rather than making excuses for my behaviour and using alcohol and self-harm as a crutch. I've found coping strategies for my agoraphobia, noise sensitivity and social anxiety when they hit, and am managing to live a life which is a lot less isolated because of them.

One of the races that I have been waiting for since I decided to take up running was held at the weekend. As everyone knows (well you do now, if you didn't before) I am a proud Geordie. I entered the Blaydon Race back in February. Places in this race are like hens teeth. They sell out in a day. I had already bought a weekend ticket for the Download Festival but said if I got in then I would sell my festival ticket to do the run. And I got in!

So festival ticket sold I then had to wait for the run. And on the 9th June I was a mix of nerves and excitement. I got myself ready, put a water bottle in the fridge to be really cold for after the run, and left it there, not realising until I got to Newcastle. I met up with my running friends and my friends Karen and Graham pre-race. This was the 150th anniversary of the Blaydon Race in Geordie Ridley's song and it was going to be special.

There were can-can dancers, and the crowd roared "The Blaydon Races" song. I had goosepimples on my arms and the hairs on the back of my neck were stood up. I have never experieced anything like it. As we lined up outside Bambra's bar the heavens opened and we had rain of biblical proportions. I literally couldn't see two foot in front of me. The water was pouring down Scotswood Road and had an ark with a bearded bloke and two of every animal sailed past me down the Tyne I wouldn't have been surprised.

I don't know if it was the rain, the atmosphere or me just feeling so confident but I was feeling great. I did the first 5km in 32 mins and 3 seconds, though I couldn't see my Garmin to know that. I just knew I wanted to run. Although the rain had kept most of the crowds away there were still plenty of people on the Scotswood bridge to cheer us on. While others were walking up the incline I ran. The training at the running club was paying off.

Having not ran the race before I wasn't sure of where the end was. I could see a big blue "thing" up ahead which I presumed was the finish line so I put a burst of speed in. Only to find it was the car wash roof, oops! However I knew I wasn't that far away. As the race came to an end the two lads I passed with my burst of speed passed me back and I finished just behind them! Bit of a tactical mix-up there kidda.

I stopped my watch on the line, but wasn't able to see what the time was that I had finished in because of the rain on my glasses. I was completely soaked through. After getting my goody bag and my amazing t-shirt I saw my friends, one (who shall remain nameless to spare blushes) may not have won the race but would have won the wet T-shirt competition, lol. My other friend, Karen, looked at my Garmin and announced that I had finished in 66 mins 32 seconds!!!! I couldn't believe it. I had smashed the 70 minutes I had wanted to finish in.

Waiting for the bus back to Newcastle I met a couple of people that I know from Twitter and the lovely Kevin McClernon, who won the Biggest Loser this year. The night was completed with an evening's entertainment Geordie Beer Hall style, oompah band and traditional Geordie Fayre to boot! Brilliant! I don't often go out for the evening, as I can suffer from panic attacks in bars and crowded places but I loved being out, a sign that things are definitely looking up. Viva la vida!

A busy month

Hey ho,

It's been a while but I've had a busy month. Nothing major, just lots of uni work as exam time is upon us and the usual life getting in the way of stuff kinda thing.

My last post talked about how I felt I was under a bit of a black cloud. Things have definitely improved since then. It's a bit like being on a rollercoaster at times, you just have to hang on in there.

Running has been a bit of an effort at times. It has seemed like a lot of hard work and it hasn't been until the last week or so that I've felt that I'm enjoying it again. That aside I've done some great things with the runner. My club, Tyne Bridge Harriers, held a fundraising event for the Children's Heart Unit at the Freeman Hospital and The Freeman Heart and Lung Transplant Association  which was completed in around about 6 hours. It was fabulous to be part of the team and we were also joined by some of the recipients of donor organs who ran a lap, the Fit Factor team from the Journal and my friend and one of my inspirations Graham Smith who is running 2012 miles this year to raise money for the Tony Blair Sports Foundation which helps train volunteer coaches and officials so that more young people can get into sports.

I was meant to do the City of Sunderland 10k on the 6th May, however it was Newcastle United's last home game of the season and I would have been struggling to get back in time for kick off. I decided to change my plans and enter the Greggs Children's Cancer Run the following week instead, and managed to avoid a trip to the dark side, lol.

The Gregg's run is held at Newcastle race course and goes through the woods surrounding it. With the typical British summer weather it meant that the route was really clarty. Unlike other runs I've done there was no set starting time, people are allocated their number and are told to start anytime in an hour long slot. I hadn't experienced anything like this before and wondered if it would work. However I needn't have worried. At the start line it was like being at a theme park, lining up to start, being brought forward in a little group before being set away, and I have to admit that I had some nerves that were not dissimilar to those I might have felt had I been queueing for a white knuckle ride.

We set away, and I was quickly into a nice pace for me, and started really enjoying running through the mud and puddles and laughing at people who were gingerly trying to pick their way through. That was until the two mile point. An unexpected incline, some mud and a woman in front of me deciding to change her running line to directly into me saw me go flat on my front trying to avoid her. But I was straight up and running again, after throwing her a dirty look (to match my dirty hands and knees).

The distances were questionable. The first mile sign came at just over a mile according to my garmin, the second a good 200m before the 2nd mile, the 3rd came when my garmin said 2.6 miles and the 4 mile sign was placed at around about 3.65 miles according to the gps. I didn't know if it was me or the signs that were wrong but after asking some other runners afterwards it seems that they are quite free and easy with the mileage usually. However it didn't spoil the run any.

After crossing the finish line which is parallel to the racecourse itself, you are handed a medal (I love a medal when I've finished a run), a Greggs goody bag, consisting of a cheese and onion pasty, a gingerbread man and an apple, some water and another apple before you go to a stand where you collect your t-shirt.

Looking cream crackered after finishing 

Another medal for the collection

I definitely think that the Age Concern Run organisers can learn a lot from the Gregg's run organisers. The whole set up from Parking to good bag's after was a lot better and it's a run I'm looking forward to doing again next year. 

On Tuesday it was the second Grand Prix of the season at the running club. I was in two minds whether to go due to having an exam on the Wednesday but I am glad I did now, because I finished second and knocked a massive 1 minute 40 seconds off my previous time. To say I was buzzing would be an understatement. Achievements like this remind me why I started running, and why I continue. 

On Saturday I was going to give Park Run a miss due to a massively busy schedule but Graham asked if I was going so I said I would, then my friend Karen said she would come too. There was no PB today but Graham ran alongside me all the way and it was great to have someone who was encouraging me on. He really is a great lad, and managed to convince me to sign up to do one of the half hour slots in his 24 hour treadmill challenge in June. Seeing as I hate treadmills I think he did very well getting me in there. 

This week sees the club running at the Clive Cookson 10k on Wednesday, where my friends are also running, so a sneaky (non-alcoholic) drink beckons afterwards, and then it's the track and field event for the harriers where I am chucking things (shot put and javelin) and hopefully not hitting anyone in the process. 

Catch you all soon!