Milton Keynes Weekend

Good afternoon all,

This will be the last post in the FBBSO (Fatty boom Boom Starting Over) blog, which is the second blog of the Fatty Boom Boom Series.  I said at the beginning of this blog that I wanted to lose weight and concentrate on 5k and 10k speed and quality.  Whilst I have improved both my 5 and 10k, it wasn't by a considerable amount.  I have also put on weight and have had the same conversations that I was having this time last year having completed London Marathon.

So I am going to take some time out, concentrate on losing weight, and get back to enjoying running by running for fun for a while, no plans.  I will start up the third blog in the series in due course and you will be able to find it here:  www.FBBT3.blogspot.co.uk (Fatty Boom Boom Take Three).

That is the miserable bit out of the way, now onto the post at hand...

Milton Keynes Weekend.

So this was my race for the year, a challenge set over 2 days, 5k on Sunday and Half Marathon on Bank Holiday Monday.  As you will know from reading my previous posts, I had not been able to train any more than 10k having had various illnesses and problems with ham strings. 

On the previous Sunday I had managed 10k run/walk followed by a further 3.75k walk, a massage on the Monday, work induced 20,000+ steps on Wednesday and a 3k run on the Friday.  

I had taken Friday through to Wednesday off, to chill, relax and then recover.  Unfortunately due to my daughter coming down with severe tonsillitis during the early hours of Saturday morning and a visit to the urgent care center Saturday night, my pre race chill out didn't go quite to plan.

My thoughts going into the race were:

• start the race
• finish the race
• finish the race strong
• finish the race having enjoyed it
• finish under the cut off time 3:15:00
• finish in sub 3:07 HM race PB (Silverstone last year)
• finish in sub 2:56:32 PB in training
• Sub 2:50
• 2:48:47 (8m/km, which is what I was aiming to stick at)
• Sub 2:48:47

MK Rocket 5K - Sunday

It was an early start as we were driving to MK on the morning of the Rocket 5k, having checked on daughter, made sure she had everything she needed we set off just after 6.30am.  The drive was clear all of the way and took us no more than an hour.  We parked and made our way to Wetherspoons to collect our race numbers.

It was here we met up with Michelle a fellow #ukrunchat follower and her friend, we all went to the start line and discussed our strategies for completing the 5k without sabotaging the following day's races.  I planned to go somewhere between 38 and 40 minutes, nice and slow to warm the legs but not tire them.  

The start line was half way up a hill, and in my head I was praying that we would be facing down, of

course that was never going to happen.  Instead the view in front of me reminded me of a scene in 'The Princess Diaries' where the car starts rolling back down the hill!

Off we went, and due to the nature of the incline, I started the race as I intended nice and slow.  The route was along a dual carriage way, which had some further small inclines and declines and some roundabouts.  I kept looking at my watch conscious that I was speeding up and trying to hold it back.  For the first time I was actually over taking people, I would run and chat with someone for a short while and then plod on a bit quicker to the next.  

I'd kept to 10/2 run/walk for almost 4KM, but then with a quick calculation in my head I worked out that I would be walking into the finish line. I changed it slightly and just as I was finishing my last walk break I saw the sight that had me sprinting off.... no not the finish line but the Golden Arches, yes.... McDonalds.  Which just happened to be in front of the finish line.

I rounded in to the car park, almost stacked it across a speed bump, overtook various runners and made it to the finish line in 35:44, considering my fastest 5k is 34:27, it hadn't gone quite to the slow steady race I had planned!  In fact, according to my watch, I had run the last 2 1/2 minutes at 5:40/km pace.... I am not sure I have ever run that quick, no wonder I felt sick.

I met Rob, grabbed my medal, water, toffee yazoo, and a chocolate brioche bun before meeting Michelle and friend (sorry I can't remember your name).  I was buzzing, I felt really good, and my legs still felt strong, although I was very worried at what price the end speed would have the following day.  We all got the bus back to the start, and Rob and I had lunch before heading to the premier inn, which was our home for the next two days.

Later on we met with Darren, (somewhat a legend in the #ukrunchat community) watched some football and then in the evening we all met up again for dinner with Twinny one and Two, Kev, JK and Claire.

Then it was back to the hotel for my pre-race ritual of a small glass of port with a Rennie chaser.

Unfortunately, I was woken at 1.30am by people loudly stamping up and down in the corridor and children screaming.  Just as I was drifting back off at 2.30am the residents in the room above us (obviously a family of elephants) returned.  It felt like I had barely been back to sleep when birds were tweeting, and I was awake to start another day.

MK Half Marathon 

....a race that was definitely made up of 4 very different quarters and a last little bit!

This had to be one of the first times I had raced and not had to get up at ridiculous o'clock, the race didn't start until 10am and we were 5 minutes drive away.  So I enjoyed a few cups of tea in bed, until, my body went into melt down.  A regular pre-race occurrence, where my body decides I should be nervous (which I am consciously not, but must be sub-consciously), Bring on the IBS, sweats, dizzy and sick feeling which will continue to last until we are moving towards the start line!

The cab arrived to take us to the start, where we met Darren, dropped off our bags and then I made my way to the toilet for one last time.  When I came back out, there was no sign of Rob or Darren, and I started to panic, I didn't have a clue where the start pens were (Rationally thinking would tell you to follow the crowds).  I was really upset, I wanted to wish Rob Good luck and have a hug before I started.  Having paced the registration area for (what felt like my entire life but was actually) a few minutes I started to make my way outside and walked straight into Rob who had come back to look for me.  Cuddles, kisses and a happy Elle, I made my way to my pen, which by now was already crowded out past the enclosure.  I wasn't bothered by this as I always place myself near the back in the hope I will not get carried away by the crowds (I still do, its just rather than carried, its classed as chasing).

I started chatting to various people, including another #ukrunchat fellow - Barry, and then Claire made her way over to me and we stuck together.  The waves started, and we were moving towards the start line.  People were running to the start line from a fair distance.... I just don't get it... I refuse to start running until my foot hits the start mat... after all why in Gods name would anyone want to add any distance to a long distance race?  It doesn't count you know... they wont move the finish line closer to you at the end!

0 - 5K

We were off, and the first part of the race, was the reverse of the previous day's 5K, I behaved and stuck to my 10/2 run/walk and steady pace.  My legs did feel a bit heavy which concerned me, but at this point I was hoping they would ease once they warmed up.  This first part went quite quickly, my legs did indeed ease up and I got into a nice pattern.  I even got to see Rob who was already running back in the opposite direction and shouting 'GO ELLEBEAR' as he passed me.  I took a water from the first station and took on a GEL, I was feeling good.

5 - 10K

An unusual occurrence for me was my need for a pee at the start of the race, which normally disappears once running, had decided on this day, of all days not to disappear.  I really didn't know what to do, having never had to worry about it in the past.  It was just as I was coming up to what was the start of the 5K the day before, that I heard someone in front of me tell someone else that the toilets had been at 5k, which was currently on the opposite side of the road.  I looked over and considered it, but could see a q forming and decided it was not worth the distance of making my way over and the wait so I carried on.

I was constantly seeing men pull over to the grass verge to whip it out and take a pee, and I longingly looked on wishing I had the same advantage (thank god I was running or my stare could have been taken very wrong).  It was about this time things started to divert from plan, longer walking breaks, shorter running intervals, and generally feeling miserable.  I hadn't yet made it to the 10k mark, which is what I can normally do comfortably and I would have to do double that distance.  I was still however on target, having pushed on well in the first 5k.

We came off the roads and went into a housing estate which was a bit random, running in between houses, up and down path steps. Across a few small bridges and then I was following a track in between fields, where I saw a sign for toilets.  As I approached I could see a small Q, 5 or 6 people at tops so I decided to stop.  Problem was there was only 2 toilets, and everyone was taking forever.  I was by the 6 mile marker, just shy of 10k, my plan of making it to this point between 1:18 and 1:20 slipping away.  

A couple of tail bikes, and a pick up kart came and stopped next to the toilets, and I heard someone shout that they were the end of the race.  They would wait for people to finish in the toilet and then carry on.  I was very confused as, even though I was slow, I was pretty sure I was not the last person.  I wasn't, more runners came through.

I lost 7 minutes at that damn toilet (including the long pee myself), and when I came out, there wasn't any people, bikes or karts, and I think this messed with my brain a bit as I started to feel I was now alone.  I didn't take any water this time, but the station reminded me to have a couple of wine gums.

10k - 15k

Having had the break my legs didn't want to start running again, so I was very much stop start for a while.  I came into a village, and started to catch some people up, I shook my bootie alongside the belly dancers, and considered popping into the local pub but continued on my way.  This short stint in the village, had cheered me up, there had been supporters, and live music etc.

Then we were into park land, and it felt a lot more like the surroundings I train in, again there wasn't much support, but the sun was out and the views were pretty.  I walked a lot more during this section, I was tired, and I could feel that a blister on my left foot was joining the blister on my right foot which had appeared quite early on in the race.  

It was about now that I decided I didn't care about time, pace, run/walk or much else other than placing one foot in front of the other and making it to the end.  I chatted to a lady who was speed walking the HM, she had a bad injury and was in a lot of pain, but yet she continued to walk at a speed I couldn't keep up with, in fact, my run wasn't much faster!

This 5k seemed to drag, BUT wasn't as mentally destroying as most of the previous 5k had been.  I think that relaxing more now I wasn't watch watching made it quite a nice walk in the park.  Still as I neared the 15k I was starting to worry if I could get to the end before the cut off time.

15k - 20k

At 15k, another water station, another Gel and a look on Facebook changed the whole race right around!  One of my sisters had posted me a link to a You Tube video of 'Keep on Running', I started to play it and it made me feel so happy and gave me a push to carry on.  After listening to it, I decided to do a quick Facebook Live vid of me running to thank her....

After posting the video, Lauren tagged me in lots of music videos, the next was from Sister Act, and was played at my Grandad's funeral, it had had us both in fits of giggles on that day, and now running along I was singing it at the top of my voice and laughing so hard.  I am sure people thought I was delirious!

The lady that said hello in that video soon became the next important part of the end of this race, we played tag and chase for the next 3k, she was also singing along.  The last few kms flew by, and I could see that I could go sub 3 hours, in fact I could go under my training PB.

I was so happy at this point, and really enjoying the final stages of this race as we turned back onto the dual carriage way which led back down to MK Dons, and those beautiful Golden arches once more in sight.

The Final Showdown
The lady (I wish I had caught her name) went off, and this was the time I had to make a decision, I could stay with her and get sub 3, possibly better but I knew it would really hurt me.  Rob was hoping for a PB, and if he got it,  he deserved to celebrate from the roof tops if he wished, and not be brought down by a miserable fiance who wanted bed and pain killers.  I also wanted to celebrate, I had spent too many races being miserable at the end and wanting nothing other than bed.

One last glance in front and I could see the lady look behind her for me, I waved to her and screamed go girl go!  I decided that finishing happy was more important, and also having my family be able to see me finish, so I walked down into the car park and set my mobile to Facebook Live and let them be a part of something very special to me....

I finished in 3:02:29

I was able to stay at the finish line and wait for Rob, which was fab. Unfortunately he didn't make his PB having cramped but still did an amazing time of 3:45:06, only 66 seconds off.  We collected our medals and made our way back into the baggage areas.

Having stretched, changed into warm clothes, collected our goody bags, T shirts and extra medal for participating in both days we went to watch our friends come over the line.

We celebrated in style with the rest of the #ukrunchat crew at a local Hungry Horse before heading back to the hotel for more food and beverages.

In Conclusion
The course was tough for me, as I rarely (meaning never) train with hills, having said that I also think it helped the fact my legs have been pretty much fine since due to the constant change in muscle use. There wasn't the support out there I had at London or even Silverstone, but there was enough not to make it feel like a LSR.

The marshals were fantastic, by far the best I have come across, enthusiastic, full of energy and support, caring etc.  It was definitely well organised, and again the best race I have been to for handing in baggage, collecting baggage, medals, goodies and so on.

The only negative I would have (and I am being picky) is lack of toilets along the route but I am not sure whether there was a normal amount, as I have said I never need to go.

Having got over the ordeal of running 13.1 miles again, I look back and think I actually quite liked the route, I am not fond of the hills, but I quite liked the mundane dual carriageways when they are mixed in with housing areas, villages and parks, it keeps you interested.

• start the race
• finish the race
• finish the race strong
• finish the race having enjoyed it
• finish under the cut off time 3:15:00
• finish in sub 3:07 HM race PB (Silverstone last year)
• finish in sub 2:56:32 PB in training
• Sub 2:50
• 2:48:47 (8m/km, which is what I was aiming to stick at)
• Sub 2:48:47

More to the point I have had a very enjoyable weekend, great running, great friends, and managing to spend it with Rob made it the perfect weekend all round.

Also a perfect end to this blog, but don't worry I will be back.

Much love to you all,
FBB
xx