Trail Half Marathon: My first experience

Cheddar Gorge Challenge medal collection

Six weeks ago in my blog post 'Run light like...' I explained how my recent involvement in the Relish Running Races Cheddar Gorge Challenge had rekindled my passion for running and allowed me to discover the delights (and pains!) of trail running.

Well, I did it! 16th August marked my first trail half marathon and I picked up my last piece of metal to complete the Cheddar Gorge Challenge. Not only did I complete it but I came 10th overall!!! I am absolutely over the moon and ecstatic. I thoroughly enjoyed it and many thanks to Relish Running Races organisers for the fantastic job they did at all three races I attended.

Lindsay & I on the finish line

What can I tell you? It was bloody difficult! But then? That is what you want. That is what makes it interesting. I was doing ok but I got a great burst when I saw Hell's steps for the last time. I went bounding past four others as I was determined to give my all at this point in the race. As my friend Lindsay had told me in training, "Don't see them as hills. See them as mounds of opportunity!" By the end, as I approached the finish line, my legs were like jelly. I had definitely gone as hard and as far as I could. Great feeling.

Hills are mounds of opportunity

Everybody has their own demons. Everybody has their own challenges. This was mine and even if I missed the odd training session here or there, I know that in the end, I did the best I could during that trail half marathon. I had everything to be proud of and I was.

In the last 8 months I have given up smoking (-something I should have never started but I do - or did - enjoy it!). I have started running again at a respectable fitness level. I have achieved better than I could have imagined in the Cheddar Gorge Half Marathon and well... since I have got this far, after 2 years of saying it, I have finally committed to the Munich marathon on 11th October 2015. 

Champagne celebrations

Another great challenge, Munich is a city I hold close to my heart for a number of reasons and I felt a connection to this city long before I came to live here (for inexplicable reasons), so I have always wanted to earn THAT medal; that of the Munich Marathon. I ran the Phuket Marathon in 2011 and said, "I will never run another marathon again" but even then, I gave myself the exception that I would do another marathon if it was in a cooler climate such as that of Europe "just so I can compare my race time". So here I am.

Final weeks of training in progress. A fresh bottle of cava is awaiting in the fridge (thanks to a wonderful Cava Tasting evening I recently attended at Camino del Vino in Munich - worthy of another blog post!). And well, as always, watch this space..............!

I'm back... 2011 is my year of blogging!

I know what you are all thinking... Famous last words! I can't make any promises but I can give you an update of life so far in 2011... I'll keep it brief .

January & February kind of passed me by. It was the middle of high season and I couldn't tell you what was going on. No idea!

March was more eventful. For starters the Formula 1 season began again. Yey! Unfortunately most of the races were day-time here in Phuket which meant that I was at work but I did manage to follow most races on the official F1 website.

Here I am proudly in 2nd place complete with trophy!

Then there was the Kata-Karon Beach Marathon in March too. This was my first competitive running event and while it was just 10.5km, I came 2nd out of all the females in my category so got myself a podium place. Funny!

Perhaps the more pertinent question, looking at that photo, is why on earth I seem to have run in only my pants! Not that it is much better, but I am in fact wearing a nappy. Mik & I both ran the race wearing nappies, bibs and dummies having been successfully sponsored by our good friends to raise money for a baby girl that had been born recently here in Phuket with a terrible affliction; her right knee-cap was on the reverse side of her leg meaning without expensive surgery (beyond the means of her parents), she would never walk again. As I write this, Baby is in Bangkok receiving treatment but Mik & I are pleased to say our running raised enough awareness that one day we hope to see this little girl running alongside us! Here are photos of us after the race, and me with Baby 'Ginger' and her parents (taken just last week)...

L to R: Marc (Instructor at Sub Aqua Dive Center), me & Mik

 
Also in March was my birthday and I turned 29 with a terrific celebration. An evening at a local E-san food restaurant with a few bottles of whisky on the table, Mik, staff at Sub Aqua Dive Center, and many great friends. It was an unforgettable night! The lack of photos is probably a good thing!

Then on into April... The weirdest thing to happen in April was definitely the telephone call I received asking me to participate in Miss Songkran 2011. I went along to see what was involved and rather amusingly was dressed head to toe in traditional Thai clothing and then told to parade about on a stage in Patong as part of Phuket's famous Bike Week. Apparently it was aired on TV worldwide but I didn't go trying to find out! Below is a picture of a friend of mine here in Phuket, Kaye Smith, and myself after we had finished in hair/makeup. Check out that quiff! That back-combing took some getting out, I can tell you...

Miss Songkran 2011 - try getting a motorbike helmet on that!

 

 

So that brings us safely into May 2011 and half the year has almost passed already. We are 'officially' into Phuket's low season now (but don't think that stops us from diving!). Right now, Mik & I are training hard for Phuket's Marathon on 12th June 2011. This morning I got up at 3.45am to run solidly for 3 hours! Only 5 weeks until Marathon day... If I survive, I will let you know! Until then... hope you enjoyed my first posting of 2011!