The_sobster

Well, it's over. The Edinburgh Marathon has been completed and I can actually feel my legs. Result. On the down side my face appears to be glowing in the dark.

After months of training and hours of planning and organisation I was ready for this weekend. All my kit was packed. I had a folder full of confimations, maps and forms. I was Miss Organised 2010. Unfortunately fate had different plans. Firstly the hotel kicked both me and my friend Collette out due to double booking. Then I managed to nearly die driving around Edinburgh trying to find Hope Street (note: it's pedestrian. #Fail). I also managed to get the wrong bus and ended up in Leith at 10pm with no idea where the hell I was and no further buses, and finally the weather forecasters all lied like flatfish and instead of 19 degrees and overcast/showers, we had 27 degrees of sweaty, burny sun. Rant over, back to the race.

26.2 miles is (by definition) a buggeringly long way. Nibbling anything more than a biscuit and my fingernails the night before was pretty much impossible due to extreme nerves. I went to bed with my RNLI vest, leggings and trainers laid out on the table waiting for my alarm to go off and me to leap out of bed and attack the day. I didn't wake to the alarm, I awoke to a troop of howler monkeys in the zoo next door at 6am. I was having a dream about cycling around Bournemouth at the time, so the inclusion of a pack of rabid monkeys on rollerskates was an interesting image. I believe I'd even put a tutu on one of them.

I tried to eat some brekkie, which didn't go too well and then headed into the city to met up with Collette and walk down to the start line. The start was 9.50am and we got there at 8.30am. It was deserted. I found this very odd as most races I have been to, the loo queue forms at least 3 hours beforehand and grows exponentially by the hour. By 9am Regent Road was getting busy and I was busier trying to spot some of my Tweeting buddies. Sadly I didn't spot any :o( Hope to catch you next time guys x

The start was good - all downhill for the first few miles, although it was very, very, VERY warm. I was feeling fine and was on schedule for a 5 hour finish. At mile 10 we passed Musselburgh stadium and the finish line. I waved and told it I'd be back round in a few hours. About half a mile later the lead runner went legging it past on the other side of road only a mile or so from the finish. Not only did he have about a 6 mile lead, but he also managed a joke and wave with some bystanders. Freak.

I was going OK and passed the half way point at around 2.30hrs. But after this the shade stopped and the sun came out in full and nearly melted me. The rest of the route was out and back along the coast path. There were lots of supporters for most of it and the people of Edinburgh were brilliant. Many of them had hosepipes out to give us 'field showers' as we melted past. One of the good things about running for the RNLI is that any kid with a hosepipe who saw my immediately tried to "sink the lifeboat!" If it wasn't so hot I might have actually drowned.

Miles 16-18 were utter hell. These were spent running around a park with no shade and away from the coast there was no breeze either. I was suffering quite badly at this point. Passing one or two of the other RNLI runners at cross over points was a highlight as we high fived, punched the air or shouted 'Go Lifeboats!' With so few of us (I only saw 3 others running, and a couple who had done the half marathon), it was a big boost every time we saw each other and could have a litte chat.

Miles 18-21 were better. The aches and pains had eased slightly and the clouds briefly appeared to give us some respite from the heat. I managed to run quite a bit of these miles and although I knew I wasn't going to hit my 5hr finish by then, I hoped to be quite close to it. Alas no. At mile 22 the sun reappearred hotter than ever. By now it was after 2pm, I was sunburnt, my head was on fire, my feet had swelled so I'd had to stop and loosen my laces and my sportsbra had cut off my circulation to my back as my skin swelled up.

Only the Rocky music someone was blasting out from thier garden, blind determination, stubbornness and the knowledge that all my friends were willing me on got me over those last few miles. The shuffling run from mile 25 to the finish line was agony, and I apologise to all the crowds at the finish when I appeared, sweat-stained and grimacing with tears streaming down my face. But you know what? I was an emotional wreck and you didn't help by shouting my name and cheering me on. It was just too much for a The Sobster to take.

Official time: 5.39. Collette did a fabulous time of 4.10, and my twitter friends did amazing runs and got times from 3.50 to 4.50. We are all marathon runners guys!

Huge thanks to all the people of Edinburgh who were amazing, the organisers and marshalls who made sure we all got water and cheered so well, and the wonderfully lovely ladies of the RNLI charity tent who repaired Collette and I with sandwiches, coffee and massages. They are the reason I can still walk today.

A massive, massive thank you to everyone who has sponsored me for my year of crazy, you are all stars xx

Finally, this is not the end of the craziness, I have other things planned, but that's for another blog post. Right now I'm off to the pub for my first pint for 5 weeks. I think I've earned it.

Here's mud in your eye.

Sad afternote: Just heard the news of the runner who fell in the first few miles and sadly died. I had passed him at mile 7, surrounded by paramedics giving CPR. I know it shook everyone and my thoughts are with his family.

Challenge number 2 *tick*

I am blogging this sitting on a sofa and desperately hoping I don't have to stand up or sit down any more tonight. Yesterday I Kilomathoned and today I am paying the price!! My quads had seized up this morning and it's made stairs, chairs and automobiles rather difficult. It's quite a problem when you wake up, need the loo and realise you are on the 3rd floor...

Anyway, back to the race. The Kilomathon is number 2 on my challenge list for the Dobster's Year of Crazy. It was the inaugural UK event and started on a very, very, VERY cold morning in the grounds of The University of Nottingham. In case you are not sure how cold it was, here's a picture of my mate Keith waiting for the bus to take us from the Park and Ride to the start. There were 5,500 runners signed up to do the race, with 4186 actually starting it. I think they were all in the queue for the toilets just ahead of me. The start line was awash with survival blankets, tattered tshirts and bin-liners donned by desperate runners trying to keep warm for the 45mins before the gun. But eventually we were off and starting the first Kilomathon! Or rather 9:38mins later, when we finally crossed the line, we had started.

The route took us out of Nottingham, through some nice countryside (especially the lovely Elvaston Castle), but unfortunately through more industrial estates and long, boring roads. At least the range of runners I was passing (and even more who were passing me) kept me amused with their tshirts, weird conversations (always fun when you half hear a sentence) and dodgy range of leggings.

By 10miles I started to really suffer. Jim (God bless him), had joined me around mile 4 and he was my constant companion for the rest of the race. He brought a friend in the shape of Bob, who decided to make a home on my right big toe and poke me every time I stepped on him. Nice. So there were a few walking breaks and energy-drinking stops to keep me going. But eventually, I saw the sign declaring we had entered Derby! I think my "Woo Hoo! Derby" startled the girl in front of me. I doubt anyone has ever been happy to enter Derby before.

The 24Km sign beckoned, and the lovely people of Derby who had come out to cheer us all on and tell us we were nearly there, made the last couple of miles a bit easier to take. The sight of the finish line, as I turned the last corner to a wave of cheering and clapping was extremely welcome. The slight downhill run-up to the finish line was even more welcome and probably the reason I now can't walk. Who can't resist a sprint finish past all the cheering crowds??

I finished just before the clock hit 3hours, with my run time confirmed as 2hours, 51mins 18secs. Not as fast as I had hoped, but at the end of the day, I beat the Sweeper Bus Of Shame, so I'm happy with that, and the lovely @Hughesy2103 was there with a Diet Coke and a comfy car to ferry us all back to Nottingham. What more could a Dobster possibly want from a race :o)

My various twittery friends: @WorTony, @nimblerunner, @becbostock, @neilrostance and BritMilFit and dive club buds, Sarah, Keith, Claire and Kev did their own cracking times. Well done everyone who took part.

Pictures are up on the website soon. I'll post a few if I don't look too bad ;o) and please remember why I'm putting myself through this agony!

At the top of the blog you'll find the proof I did it (no, not a picture of Jim), my number and Jim'll Fix It style medal. And I'll leave the final word to the Kilomathon organisers who gave us this nice little voucher in our goody bags and the perfect bit of advice which every single runner no doubt ignored completely...I know I did.

Here's mud in your eye.

The Kilomathon, a medieval siege weapon

The shivers have stopped and the bruises have started to go that horrible yellow colour after last weekend's Beast 2010, so it's time to start looking forward to The Kilomathon!

I can't help but pronounce it as the KILOMATHON, in a bottom of your boots, Die Hard trailer kinda way. It sounds like a medieval siege weapon. "They've pulled up the drawbridge Sir. We'll never get in the castle now." "Don't despair Fortesque, bring out the KILOMATHONS!". In reality I'm expecting it to be a instrument of torture rather than a siege weapon.

So what is a Kilomathon? Well it's a marathon measured in km. That's 26.2km, or 16.2 miles in old money. It's run from the University of Nottingham in... Nottingham (surprise huh?!) to Alvaston Park in Derby. It's going to take in some lovely countryside, including Elvaston Park. And some not so lovely A roads. But hell, 26.2km of countryside may just kill me.

I've been training hard with long, boring road runs around the long, boring ring road near my house, culminating in 13.14miles last week. That's as far as I'm going to run in training, so I'm tapering down now with shorter, interval training and medium distance runs of 8-10 miles. Tapering down your runs a couple of weeks before a race means that your body gets a chance to recover from your training and lay down stores of energy in your muscles.

Recently I've been working more and more on my nutrition. This is going to be a surprise to anyone who knows me... my diet no longer consists entirely of McCoys crisps and cheese crackers. And one of the best things about prepping for a race is carbo-loading! I've been introduced to a new breakfast by the running machine Nimblerunner and have swapped takeaways and fish fingers for wholemeal pasta and rice. It's an interesting subject and one I may well get more into in the future. look out for a nutrition blog :o)

So there you go. The KILOMATHON... ("NOOOOO! We surrender!"). 10 days to go and I'll let you know my progress. If you're around on the 14 March, come along and cheer us all on - look out for 3217 and give me and Jim a bit of a cheer. He'll appreciate it. And don't forget why I'm doing this please.

Here's mud in your eye.

The Beast has been tamed, chained and stuck in a petting zoo

Challenge number one *tick* !

The Beast2010 has been tamed, caged, had a nice pedicure on its claws and been escorted to a little petting zoo in Hampshire so 10 year olds can pull its tail.

Here's a lovely picture of me and my BMF buddies freezing slightly before the race started. As you can see, there are plenty of layers going on at this stage. It was at most 2 degrees with a wind chill factor of about -35 (give or take a degree or two). The layers were soon dispatched to a car with one of our non-runners and we were off for a slippery, soggy, shivery race with an extra water feature this year and our lovely BMF instructors to 'cheer' us on.

Now, I know a lot of people have trouble figuring out what I mean by water features and jumps, so here's a couple of examples to give you an idea. There were 2 main water features (ie water above the waist) and about 32 different jumps involving huge logs of various heights, small ditches to jump, oversized vaulting horses, piled tyres and large wooden steps. With wet trail shoes and cold fingers, they can all be a bit tricky.

I can confirm I am a complete quitter... and only did the first 5mile lap. About half of our crew (and my twittery friend @WorTony) went the distance and 'did the double'. I can't even imagine how difficult the second lap must be with the course churned up by everyone else. So a big hearty blog shout goes out to them.

Highlights of the race??

• Hearing a squeal at mile 4 and turning round to see my friend Helen sliding gracefully sideways down the slope into a thornbush *snigger*.


• Getting a PB for the course at 56mins 54secs (1hr, 1min last year). YAY!

Bad points??

• Getting suspected hyperthermia, so sacking off the pub and spending the entire night shivering!


• The state of my trainers and socks afterwards :o/ (they were sparkly white at the start!)


• Slipping on one of the first jumps and getting a rather large bruise on my shin. However, we were armpit deep in ice cold water 2 mins later, so at least that kept the swelling down. Result!

All in all, it was a fabulously fun event which I am already looking forward to doing again! There's talk of a September event, and I'll be the first in the queue.

Well done to all the Pure Personal Training crew who put the event on and the British Military Fitness boys for screaming at me to get up that hill (love you Vinnie and Gaz!).

Thanks to everyone who has sponsored me, and if you haven't so far, hopefully now you've seen what I'm putting myself through (!) you might consider giving.

Onwards to the next event (which couldn't be more different) - The Kilomathon!

Here's mud in your eye, but more in your trainers.

The Beast!

It's only 12 days to the first of my challenges this year - The Beast 2010! So I thought I would tell you a bit more about it.

The Beast is a double or quit race, which means it is two 5mile laps of the course and you can choose to 'Do the Double' or be a quitter. I'm a quitter! It is run over an equine x-country route, where we have to leap horse jumps, squelch through muddy pools and navigate fiendish obstacles being provided this year by those nice chaps from British Military Fitness (yes, them again!).

Last year it took me 1hr, 1min 1sec. So this year I'm aiming to not only beat that, but smash it into little pieces and bury it at the bottom of a water jump. By the way, this is a typical water jump...

There are quite a few of the BritMilfit group doing the run this year and apart from the fun of trying to get dry and get changed in a field full of runners afterwards (you end up in muddy water up to your armpits), I'm already salivating at the thought of the soup kitchen and beer tent being up and running again this year :0)

And why am I doing all this? To raise money for those wonderful RNLI people, who risk their lives every day on our coasts and waterways. Please consider sponsoring my challenges at www.justgiving.com/dobby.

I'll keep you posted of my time and might even post a picture of my trainers after the event. Last year they went in the bin within 3 mins of returning home due to the whiffiness!

Here's mud in your eye (and probably everywhere else)...

The Dobster is fundraising for RNLI - Royal National Lifeboat Institution - JustGiving

The Dobster is fundraising for RNLI - Royal National Lifeboat Institution - JustGiving

Yes, I am. So please by nice and sponsor me a little bit.

WHY!?!?! I hear you cry...

Well for one thing I'm a diver. For another I grew up by the sea and know the hard work the staff and crew of the RNLI put in every day of the year. But mostly its because they get no government funding, their lives are in danger on almost every call out and (as the recent floods prove) we all need their help, no matter where we live.


Up until now I have done a couple of minor runs, the odd 10k race and one (painfully slow) half-marathon, which involved more walking than running. So this year is going to be a bit of a challenge. But then if you have read my previous posts, you'll know my thoughts on challenges...

So what am up to?

28 February - The Beast. 5 miles over a x-country horse run, complete with (horse-sized) jumps, thick mud, hills and water-features rather deeper than is healthy for a 5ft 6 woman.

14 March - Britain's first Kilomathon. Its a marathon, but its in Km instead of miles. So thats about 26.2km to you and me. Its from Nottingham to Derby. I'm just hoping we don't have to walk home afterwards.

23 May - Edinburgh Marathon. The biggy. Its big. BIG. Never done a marathon before and this one looks great. I'll give you a wave when I pass a tv camera.


So, I hope you can help me get to my fundraising target, and if you specifically sponsor my blisters I'll post you pictures of them as proof. No really, I will.

Here's mud in your eye.



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