So 2014 as I didn't get into the London Marathon I applied for the London Bupa 10000 - was another chance to run in London and experience what I had done the year before but in a smaller scale.
Infact scalewise it was just as great an experience, loads of people, all the atmosphere, crowds shouting name, cheer points and I had my best time in under an hour for 6.2 miles, I was really chuffed with myself.
Since the marathon I'd been running 6.5 miles round the block quite regularly at home, its like a circle and although it has a few inclines - whoever says Essex is flat is lying. So running in London again at a comfortable distance was enjoyable. Jay saw me at the start line, got some great shots of Mo Farrah starting us off and he saw me near the end too. Felt much better after this race thats for sure. Although the training was much easier.
Now because Jay had been cycling with me whilst doing all my training the other year, I also started cycling and we decided to attempt the London to Southend Bike Ride, about 60 miles I think in aid of the British Heart Foundation. We started cycling my 6.5 mile route round the block, extending a little each weekend we went out. Cycling around 7am on a Sunday morning was much nicer, no traffic (well not much anyway) and no people!! In the end we were doing quite easily 25-30 miles on a Sunday morning and reallly enjoying it. So on that July day we travelled up to London not reasling that we had a good few miles to cycle to the start line in the first place, and it was warmer than we thought too. We started around 8am and planned on only stopping once or twice depending how we felt but things have a habbit of changing. Infact the hills were a killer, but we managed them until someone went into the back of Jay's bike, making gears and brakes stick, which made it really hard for Jay. The heat didn't help Jay, or the gears, brakes so we ended up stopping more than twice and when we finally stopped at The Royal Oak in Stambridge which we'd passed every Sunday on our normal cycle rides and the fab man from Grips sorted Jay's gears out and told him that he'd been riding nearly 50 miles with his brakes stuck on we realised why it had been hard, but we managed to get to the finish line quite easily after that, feeling accomplished. The hardest bit was getting home, as our legs felt great we decided to cycle home rather than go by train and the rains hit us with a vengence. Infact we had to stop for nearly 2 hours taking cover in the petrol station. I got quite ill being really cold, so we managed to buy some pet blankets and kept wrapped up. The rain didn't stop the only way to get home was to cycle - I even tried asking for help on facebook. It slowed enough for us to wrap the blankets round us like cape, putting our hats over the top and trying to keep my arms under the covers too as I was then starting to shivver we managed somehow to cycle the few miles back home. It was still raining but its amazing what you can do when you really need to get home. I suppose all in all we did about 70 miles in total, roll on this year when we do it again:-)
We also cycled round Foulness Island a total of about 42 miles in total. Now this wasn't so much a distance challenge but it is very windy and there was even a bit of off roading, which our hybrid bikes coped easily with. I think with the cycling to and from Wakering to start the ride we did probably do around 60 miles again, and it was quite tough cycling home but was interesting as you aren't normally allowed on the Island being its MoD. Not sure if we will do this one again this year but you never know, we never say never.
So again 2014 ended with the Southend 10K and knowing again that I somehow got into the London Marathon again for this April. How on earth did I manage that twice in three years? Anyway I thought I'd better use the 10K as my first training run, as although I'd kept up a few odd 6.5 miles maybe once a week as well as all my other classes - spin, combat and attack, I hadn't run more than that distance for months and hadn't run 13 miles since the previous year as we had been away for the Southend Half last year. The only issue was we were on holiday for 2 weeks all inclusive and only back one weekend before the race and even then we were with friends for the weekend so no running. I think I may have managed one little 6.5 miles that week and that was it.
Anyway the day came, Jay came to watch and I started really fast, infact when Jay saw me I was shouting I couldn't stop and I knew I was running too fast, when he shouted well slow down then I said I couldn't:-) I didn't need the headphones the distance has become quite normal now and I did wonder what time I'd do but was trying not to look at my watch. I was about 20 seconds short of my PB from London earlier in the year so I was very pleased with myself. Two weeks of eating and drinking (although to be fair, we walk alot on holiday, we even hired bikes and cycled) luckily didn't do too much damage.
So after the Southend 10K I come down to earth with a bump and start my marathon training again - roll on April 2015, was 2013 a dream, did I really run a marathon and am I really going to get a second chance of another medal and to raise some more money for Macmillan a great charity?
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