I RUN THE BATH HALF :D 2 HOURS, 11 MINUTES AND 16 SECONDS

Well that's it: I made it! I run 22 Km / 13.1 miles in Bath, along with 15,000 other runners, under a glorious sun. I have the sunburns to prove it! And here's the story...

The biggest event aside from the race itself was the arrival of extra supporters on Saturday. Here was I, enjoying a steak sandwich in a local bistro with Stephen, when suddenly I felt a strange presence near me on the bench, turned around, and found Arnaud, then Rob, then Cyril. Arnaud and Rob had driven all the way from London, and Cyril flew in from Paris to be there. Apparently the boys had been plotting this for months, with Stephen informing them of our hotel and train arrangements since December - I was so pleased! The look on my face must have been priceless really. So here was I, surrounded by some of my favourite people, in a charming Roman city bathed in sun, ready for the ending of my six-month project. We took that opportunity to have a stroll in the city centre and take some classy pictures of Cyril in front of sausage parlours...

The evening was rather uneventful - we ended up dining at the hotel as all the restaurants in town were fully booked, and I went to bed rather early, and a little nervous, too.

After a hearty breakfast, Stephen and I headed to the runners village to collect supporter's t-shirts. The race wasn't massively well organised as far as crowd control is concerned - we had to queue for quite a while to get to the starting point because thousands of runners and their friends were entering and exiting the runners' village via the same tiny entrance... All in all the race start got delayed for half an hour, so I stood there in my starting pen, shivering in the shade for a while. I just looked at the constant flow of spectators arriving for the show...

The build up to the start was great: we all counted down to ten for the elite runners to start, and my turn came up about 5 minutes later. There were 15,000 of us at the start!!! It was a great feeling, I even got a bit teary when I saw how many people had come to cheer us up. There were people all around the course, cheering, clapping, playing music and waving banners. The funniest one was the group of CLIC Sargent charity supporters, all packed in an open-top tour bus and brandishing pink flags and balloons; whenever one of their runners went by, the whole thing went shaking.

I spotted my crowd of fans the first time just near some Brazilian drums band, at the beginning. I'd been looking out for them for a while, and almost missed them! I started feeling the strain at the 4th or 5th mile, by which time some people had already stopped running and were getting support from the first-aid point. I figured then that I would probably run the whole thing in a little over 2 hours, as I was running at a pace of about 10 minutes per mile. I decided to keep running easy, focusing on steady breathing and drinking small gulps whenever I felt thirsty.

After about 40 minutes we got asked to stay on the left hand side of the road because the first runner was lapping us! The guy was incredible - so fast! Everybody cheered at him as he run past. The second runner was at least 5 minutes behind him, and then we got to see a few small packs of fast runners that followed, along with the first woman, a tiny lady who was just completely rocking it.

I spotted my fans at the end of my first lap, about an hour into the race. There they were, smiling and cheering :) And there was I, thinking "oh dear, I'm half way - is that just or already?"... Apparently I missed them the third time they saw me - I remember hearing my name though, and learnt afterwards that it had been Rob calling me out.

The course was great with just the right amount of hills, slopes and flat bits. It was however very exposed to the sun, and as I kept feeling thirsty and hot I really felt for the people who were running in furry animal outfits and wigs. There were plenty of drinking stations all headed by the army and boy scouts, but the only part of the course in the shade was about half a mile long. I was so glad I was wearing shorts and a short-sleeved vest.

Towards the 8th mile we started spotting an increasing number of people who broke into a walk, and casualties. People collapsed on the side, breathing in through oxygen masks...

I did run alongside some strange characters too, including several men dressed as women, a group of cats and tigers, and a guy wearing just shiny pink hot pants... The guys took pictures of some of these people, and few of which are shown below (and yes, there was a guy who run the whole thing carrying a surf board):




I spotted the boys at the end of the second lap, by which time I was running nice and steady, enjoying the ride and feeling quite cheerful, aside from my toes starting to really hurt. I think I run the last 2 miles completely askew, because I was trying not to have the three smallest toes on each of my feet touching the ground too hard - clearly I could feel that blisters had formed and they were turning really quite nasty.


But as we were approaching the finish, there were more and more spectators around and they were growing louder and louder, going crazy with cheers and encouragement. And then I saw the finish line :) I passed three Shelter runners along the way. I believe their names were James, Mark and Andrew, judging from the race results which can be found here.

I felt incredibly elated as I passed the finish. What a treat! The clock showed 2 hours 17 minutes if I remember well. My actual time as per chip is 2 hours, 11 minutes and 16 seconds. Not bad for somebody who couldn't train for most of the month leading up to the race!!! The race position results are somewhat temporary as I believe they are still being processed, but as of today I appear to have finished 6891st :)

After that, I felt slightly woozy for about 10 minutes, most probably because the sun had been beating on my head for two hours. I chatted with the three Shelter runners who seemed pretty happy too, collected my goody bag (which, oddly, contained a jar of cranberry sauce...), medal and t-shirt (5 sizes too big obviously), and waited patiently for the guys to join me.

Back at the hotel I peeled off the socks from my massacred toes (six blisters in total, some so nasty looking that a photo isn't even appropriate - one of my nails is actually black), enjoyed a nice shower, and caught up with Stephen, Arnaud, Rob and Cyril for a few drinks. The evening ended with a great dinner with Stephen, a very dozy journey in the late train to London, and a fabulous night of blissful sleep in our very own bed. Done!!!

Now, it is the end of the "Karen Runs the Bath Half!" blog.

I would like to thank all the people who supported me in this effort.

• To start with, Stephen, who has been a great coach and loving partner throughout these six months of craziness, early mornings, intervalling & fartleking.
  
• Then, Arnaud, Rob and Cyril, for plotting the wonderful surprise. I have to add that Cyril even had me believe he was attending some hairdressers' show in Angouleme for the weekend (to the extent of sending me the poster for it, and texting me "from" it while he was actually sipping coffee in a bar with Arnaud & Rob and waiting for Stephen's signal...).
  
• And then, all the people who helped me with the fundraising, made generous donations and sent some really motivating comments either on Just Giving, on this blog or on Facebook.
  

You all rocked steady. ***THANKS***

Let's see what my next weird project will be. But for now, I'm off nursing my toes and lazying in front of the telly, for a change!

Karen xxx

You are hereby presented

with a complimentary post-race relaxation picture.

Woo!

Lap one

Done. She's on target!

And Karen begins ...

... now!

Warming up

Race Day!

Three hours and ten minutes until Karen crosses the start line.

D-3: well, it's D-3!!!

I ended up not training yesterday because I got confused with my diary and thought I was due for the gym with Arnaud. Anway, instead I enjoyed a smooth 45-min jog via Shadwell Basin, Wapping town, Tower Bridge and St Katharine's dock. It was sweet.

I am also onto my fifth day of absolutely no lactose and no alcohol, so as to be on top form for Sunday. I am getting a tad frustrated by the absence of cheese in my life... but it's all worth it! Bring it on, then.

D-5: missed the bridge :)

Well, here was my last "longish" run before the big day. Tomorrow should be relaxed, as I am entering my rest-before-you-give-it-your-all phase. I'm still feeling great and my coccyx doesn't appear to be causing much trouble. I've just run about 4.1 miles in 30-35 minutes, easing myself into it at first and then gradually accelerating, although I did slow down towards the end, as I could feel uncomfortable tensions building up in my shoulders.

I was massively overdressed for the weather, which is cloudy, wet and rather mild. I also missed my intended bridge: initially as I run on the North bank westward, I wanted to turn back at London Bridge, but I guess the fact that days start earlier and the bridge's red light gets switched off when the sun is up distracted me, and I missed the exit... So I carried on to Blackfriars instead (and almost missed that, too - I was rather dozy).

All in all, an uneventful run, and I was struck by the number of other runners around, too. The London Marathon must be the reason why there are so many people willing to get out of bed on a murky day like this one...

If I manage to maintain a pace similar to today's, then I could still make the Bath Half in less than 2 hours, and although this isn't the objective I am giving myself in light of recent injuries, I would still love to beat the 2 hours for sure!

D-6: coccyx behaving

Feeling good after yesterday's long jog. Hit the gym for a short while this morning, to loosen my legs on the cross-trainer and stretch. No extra pain in the tail bone... So far, so good! 6 days to go :)

D-7: I run again!

Aaaaaaaaaah :D 1 h 25 min of jogging, easy-peasy at first, faster on the second half. I am back on the road! Stephen and I enjoyed some beautiful sun by the river, with some fairly strong wind cooling down the atmosphere. It was great. I tried on my Bath Half Shelter shirt, which is about 2 size too big but still very neat (see photo in previous post).

Fingers crossed that my coccyx behaves! And soon, the big day! Woo-woo-wooooo!

About to hit the road again

Day 147: the Shelter ad campaign

I thought I would share with you one of the posters used for the current Shelter advertising and fundraising campaign, which I find really quite cool and compelling. This is just a phone picture I'm afraid, but it gives you an idea :) For the TV ad, see here: http://www.shelter.org.uk/cards.

Aside from this, I've now received my Bath Half number and timer tag, and booked our train tickets. That's exciting!!!

No news on the medical front though. As it happens, there are more hoops I need to jump through before the private consultation can be authorised by insurers, so it's very unlikely I'll meet the specialist before the big day.

This week end coach Stephen and I are likely to try out a long jog and see how I feel: if it's the same and no worse, I will probably run the Bath Half. If I don't feel good afterwards, then it will be a weekend of cheering and sightseeing in the Roman city!

Day 145: tales of the NHS

I have just got my recommendation letter to consult with a private sports medicine specialist. Fingers crossed that I will be able to see the consultant before the Bath Half and that they will allow me to run it (and train for it). There is less than a week left now...! I would be really disappointed if they told me the race is off for me, although I still intend to go there and at least support other runners and Shelter!

My fundraising has been going very well - the latest donation came from Lucky, who has apparently been entertaining himself up there in Sheffield by reading the justgiving page :) Thank you so much Lucky!!!

More news as soon as I hear back from the London Bridge (private!!!) Hospital.

Day 139: running substitute.

20 minutes of cross-trainer last night at the gym. Rather boring and nothing like the real thing, but it did get my heart going, and certainly my legs felt the heat after two full weeks without significant exercise. It's also a safe way to carry on training while maintaining a straight posture and minimising shock on the legs and back. It should do for now! :)

Day 138: how is that possible??

So, here's the deal: I am less than three weeks away from the big day, I have not trained for more than two weeks because of a presumed coccyx injury, and today, I am told that I have to wait another week (without running) to be referred to a private sports injury specialist who will (maybe) prescribe an MRI (maybe) that same week. By then, I will therefore be 10 days away from the big day and still not have run. It is completely maddening. The combination of the bureaucracy of the National Health Systems and the blatant inefficiency of my local practice's red-tape bullshit makes for an incredibly lame (potentially even dangerous) process.

:(

I am still going to run that race, dammit! I envisage at least maintaining my level of fitness through lower-impact cardio stuff, possibly some extended cross-trainer sessions at the gym. I guess I'll have to make do with the enclosed, air-conditioned environment of the gym for now, and imagine the lovely London views, smiling fellow runners and staring foxes, instead of seeing them for real. Cheap video clips of pop aerobics music: here I come.

AaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!

Day 137: well at least it's raining!

It's raining today in London, which makes me significantly less bothered about not being able to train (or, more precisely, not knowing whether I can or cannot train). Good news though: my appointment with the doctor has at last been scheduled, for tomorrow. I will then know if I should wait longer, or if it's OK for me to get back into jogging at the very least.

In light of all this, I am now really happy that I did not listen when people told me 5 months ago that I was starting my training too early :) Now that I am stuck not running for a while, it's great to have done all the ground work, because I am confident that it will not be as hard to get back into it, and that the impact of this break will be minimised.

I am looking forward to trying on my new Shelter running t-shirt!

Day 134: received my Bath Half running top!

Argh... I am so annoyed that I cannot train right now! The weather is gorgeous, there are more and more people running around as the London Marathon is looming, and I am stuck with a probably-cracked tail bone. But, I received a bit of motivation today: my Shelter t-shirt has arrived, and it is quite striking. They recommend using it and washing it a few times before the actual race, so I will make sure I take a photo of me wearing it on the first day that I am able to train again, which hopefully will be no later than middle of next week...

More soon! Have a good weekend y'all.

Day 133: bummer.

Things are kind of stuck for now. After a great race in Ashford I am finding myself forced to rest for longer than expected: somehow I appear to have injured my coccyx bone, and unfortunately I won't be able to have it seen by a GP and get reliable advice until next week. It will have been two full weeks without training, and I'm not really trying anything out right now, as running seems to be what triggered it, and I just don't know if jogging would make it worse or not. Agh!!! That being said, I will be at the Bath Half even if I have to jog it all the way!

Apologies to my keen readers for the lack of news lately - I shall keep you posted on how things go!

Karen Runs Ashford and District!

What we did today:

1. Got up early.
2. Got on a train to Ashford
3. Got in a taxi to go to a race

4. Karen started running ...

... behind a weird car

5. Karen finished the race:




The full set of photos can be found here.

Day 126: beat my time :)

We are just back in rainy London after a successful day in Ashford, where I run the Ashford & District race -- my second 10-Kilometre race. Last time, I completed the course in 53 minutes and 48 seconds. This time? 51 minutes and 58 seconds!!! I finished 291st out 563 runners. I am incredibly pleased, not least because I was bothered by annoying stitches (the same cramping muscle in the same spot of my abdomen, and the same cramping muscle in the side of my neck, as usual), and had to moderate my speed for kilometres 6 and 7.

The course is really pleasant and challenging at the same time. We had some beautiful sun and there are some good bits of countryside there. There were lots of hills, one in particular which was particularly long and got steeper towards the end, causing a couple of people to break into a walk.

I kept tagging my self up to a couple of ladies from the Folkestone running club towards the end, as they were running at a good consistent speed and I knew to run back up to them at times where I found myself slowing down a bit. They finished just in front of me, as in the last few metres I managed a really cool sprint and took over another guy to run back up to them. This time I made sure that I started my sprint a little later, so as to have the energy to run through the finish line at full speed.

All in all, a challenging but rewarding race. Stephen managed a few very good photos which he will be posting shortly. We had a really good roast lunch at an 18th century inn in Ashford, topped with a portion of apple and blackberry crumble. And now, we are back in London after a train trip which I mostly do not remember, because I fell asleep and spent most of the journey vaguely waking up and adjusting myself in my seat.

Tonight: a long, warm, soothing bath, and a generous slice of pizza await... Yum!

And she's in!

And they're off!

Arrival!

We're here!

Twenty-three minutes until racetime.

On the train ...

... and ready for action!
Or maybe tired.

Race Day

And we're off! To Ashford for a 10k. Most pictures will have to wait until the end of the day, as I have brought a proper camera.

But here's one to tide you over.

Day 119: snoooow!

When I woke up today (at about 11...) the sun was shining beautifully in the sky. Pretty much as soon as I mentioned "let's go running", the clouds came in. When we stepped out and started jogging, it was cold. When we got to the park for our pre-run stretch, the first few snow flakes started falling :)

We run 40 minutes today, as per plan, and half of which under the snow. It was nice. Nice also was to reach Canary Wharf in about 13 minutes - another time beaten!

However, I was tormented by a collection of painful stitches in my abs and chest, which got me to gasp for air and slow down on the running for the second half. It was lovely to have Stephen back, even though he too was being bothered by pain, in his knees.

But surely if neither the cold, nor the snow, nor our aches and pain can stop us, it means we are hard core?!

Lastsly, another good news today is a new and generous contribution to my fundraising efforts - thank you Adrian for your help. It sure is going to make a big difference. Cheerio!

Oh, I almost forgot: I received my number for the Ashford & District race next Sunday: I am number 195. Yee-heee!

Guess how long I will take to complete the Bath Half

OK, I reached the fundraising minimum a while ago, but now is time to
completely, proudly and undoubtedly blast it.
And here's where you can help.
I'm going to follow one of the fundraising ideas suggested by
Shelter, my charity of choice for the Bath Half.

Here's what you have to do.
1/ go to www.justgiving.com/karencaille
2/ donate a minimum of £2 (or the equivalent in your local currency, my faraway friends! :)
3/ add in the comments the time you think I will take to complete the Bath Half Marathon, to the second - for example, 1 hour 39 minutes and 12 seconds. Make sure you don't suggest the same time as somebody else!

If you need clues, all you have to do is read through the blog and check out how long I took the last time I run the same distance...

I will bake an incredibly delicious cake for the person whose guess is closest to my time on the 15th March. If you live far away, fear not, I will bake something that can take a few hours of plane transit...

Good luck, and thank you for your support in making the lives of homeless people more comfortable.

Karen

PS - the image is courtesy of Cyril, who has talent, as you can see.

Day 117: logging the last few days

Well, life's been pretty hectic this week, what with a ton of time and energy spent developing Caille Consulting Ltd and also looking at job openings all around. So, I've logged fewer of my running efforts, and here are the latest events in my journey towards the Bath Half.

Two days ago - skipped the 45 min Fartlek. With Stephen still struggling with a moody ankle, I'm running solo, and this kind of more 'complex' training is a little out of the question. I guess I don't have it in my heart to find the motivation :) I did intend to have a run during the day, but got caught up in service definition activities for my business and therefore didn't stick to that. So, I decided that I should stick to the morning runs from now on, as I'm less likely to skip them...

Yesterday - 10 min jog, 10 run, 10 min jog. The first jog was sweet: there was a heron standing lonely and perfectly motionless, knee-deep in the Canal on my way to the park. No one else around. The run was good and fast. I didn't try the two laps of the Shadwell Basin, so couldn't compare distances with the last 10-min session I had, but I reckon I was rather swift.

Today - didn't do the scheduled interval training, but did treat myself to a gorgeous jog punctuated by two sprints. I was alone and had the North Bank of the river for myself all the way to Blackfriars Bridge. From that point I started to see a few more runners, but nowhere near as many as in the last few days (Friday laziness?), and I feasted my eyes on one of the most incredibly beautiful sunrises I have seen over Tower Bridge in a long while (and they are usually stunning). Canary Wharf towers bathed in a light mist, soft pink sky, swollen waters, a couple of lonely little boats patrolling on the Thames, and the contours of the dolphin-and-woman statue near the bridge darkening against the sky. Sweet!

I also received my number for the Ashford & District 10K race (I am number 195!), which is next week, and sent my exepected-time form to Shelter for the Bath Half. I'm excited!

Have a wonderful weekend y'all.

Day 114: time beaten!!!

I am just back from a much-needed run in the sun, and took my Wapping-Canary Wharf route along the river, starting at the small park behind Shadwell Basin. And, I managed to beat my time! It took me 1 minute and 20 seconds less than last time :) So, I finished my 30 min run a little further... I must have been faster on the second half, because I still took 15 min to reach the Canary Wharf level - a time which I would really love to beat some day soon! But that's for another day. Off to a long, warm bath and a glass of chocolate milk now...

Day 110: a good jog-run again.

Considering that last night I completely indulged in a three-course meal, together with my share of a good bottle of French red, a complimentary glass of bubbly, chocolate truffles and a glass of one of my favourite-ever wines (Pacherenc), I feel rather proud to have taken advantage of an oddly early awakening today, to jog-run for 30 min, all the way from Tower Bridge to London Bridge on the South Bank, and then across on the North side. The programme said I should run, but again I am going my own way on this these days, and jog-running is perfectly acceptable as far as I'm concerned!

Day 109: feels good to have a real run.

The training programme was starting to bore me a bit. We are at a phase of it where it's all speed work, and quite frankly, at this time of year and in this weather, getting up in the morning for a 5 min run (even if at full speed) feels a bit iffy.

Coach Stephen and I agreed: no more than one interval training session a week from now on. And with this mind, I finally got myself to get out of the house this afternoon to jog-run for one hour. I say jog-run, because I find that with practice, the distinction between the two becomes blurry, and I have sometimes a hard time knowing if I'm fast-jogging or slow-running, or even fast-jogging and running full stop. Anyway, a frank run feels gooooood :)

I think competition may be a strong motivator for me to go faster as well, judging by how I made a point of running faster than the other woman who trained for a few minutes on the other side of the road...

It also helped today that a few people sent me some encouragement on Facebook, and that Cyril even built a banner for the same purpose! Check it out on his site: http://www.poisson-chat.fr/FTP/KAREN.jpg.

Day 107: the last few days...

Our first full run since before Xmas was 45 min on Sunday. Not our fastest by all means, but pretty good considering that my Mum & Dad were here and we had indulged together in a couple of bottles of good wine, a few aperitifs, a lunch roast and a gigantic spicy pizza the day before... Clearly, not the committed healthy lifestyle of 2008 :) :)

I still started this week with a mighty fast 10 min run, which took me further than last week's equivalent, so I was rather pleased with myself. We skipped this morning's session but we'll do tomorrow's, promise!

Another Sunday Map

For some reason, the GPS does not currently like to begin for the first five minutes of a run ... but here's the last 40:

Jan 18 at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail:GPS Geotagging

A brilliant idea...

If ever you find yourself in a new city and would like to jog, then here's a good way to find the good routes: sightjogging! Cheers Stephen!

Day 103: longest jog since before xmas

45 min jog this morning. My knees felt it. That being said, the most significant impact of this week's "back on track" theme is that my appetite is again soaring... I am constantly and belly-twistingly hungry...

Day 102: how far can you get in 5 seconds?

The answer is: as far as you can! Today was interval training day again, and the last interval was for an all-out 5 seconds run. It was fun!

I've also at last started to attend the gym again, thanks to Arnaud who provided much needed company and motivation. One thing for sure: we are rusty! 15 min of cycling hurt quite a bit and, disappointingly but not unexpectedly, I can't quite lift as much as I did the last time I had a work-out (weeks ago). But at least the wheels are in motion!

Day 101: wizzing past traffic in Wapping.

Today we woke up at 8:00. We'll never know if the alarm did or did not work. I have no memory of hearing it, and neither does Stephen.

Anyway, I ended up running solo this morning - clearly this week the programme is all about speed work, as I was scheduled to run only 10 min (plus 20 min jog). So, I took this opportunity to impress all the city employees who were busy cleaning Wapping High St, by running past them at the speed of light (or as close as possible to said speed).

It was a lot of fun, and so was enjoying a strange view of Tower Bridge in the fog -- you couldn't see the top of the towers...

Day 100 (yes it is!): laziness strikes.

Today, 6 times 75 sec sprint + 3 min walk intervals. It was dire. I felt lazy.

Day 99: ride like (or against) the wind.

The cold snap has ended. This morning was mild again, and we run our 30 min against the wind, yet fast (especially towards the end, with 10-12 min or near-sprinting). I am feeling rather good about myself, particularly after oversleeping (= staying in the warm bed instead of running in below-zero temperatures) a couple of times last week, and skipping this Sunday's planned Fartlek to spend most of my afternoon at hospital after a kettle incident. Oh dear...

Day 94: fast run.

This morning, we run in 20 min the distance that we covered in 30 min on Monday. Perhaps it was the cold encouraging us to move faster!!! :) Certainly the canal near our place is not thawing very fast: there is now a rather thick and shiny layer of ice on it...

I am running another 10K race soon...

I've just registered for the Ashford & District 10K race in February, which gets some very good reviews. Let's see if training in the snow and frost will increase my time! :)

Day 93: on the road again.

Well, it had been a while since the half-marathon premiere. And here I am, back on the run after a wonderful, relaxing and indulgent Christmas holiday, where I did almost no running at all, except for a post-Christmas long jog along the river. Stephen and I started week 1 of the "sub 3 hours" marathon training programme, by getting up at 5.45 yesterday and running 30 min on snowy grounds. And this morning, it was even colder!!! Temperatures were below zero Celsius as we were getting back into the motions of interval training. I don't remember such a cold spell in London for a while...

When it's that cold, it's actually rather tough to breathe through your nose, as the air freezes your throat as it comes in :) Plus, you break back into a jog much quicker during recovery periods, otherwise your legs start freezing too! But we're doing this, and so far feeling OK. I still have a black toe from the half-marathon two weeks ago though -- how long can it take for a toe to recover?!?

Also during the holiday, this blog was accessed from far-away locations by my friends Maria and Laura, who helped me expand its reach to two more continents. Now, there are dots in South Africa, Argentina and sunny Hawaii... Any volunteers to visit Antarctica for me???