Brighton Half Marathon Review - 19th February 2012

This was the first time I had entered the Brighton Half Marathon and I really enjoyed it. I got up early and had my breakfast which was porridge and casein (protein powder) followed by toast with peanut butter and banana.Yummy!!! I then got ready and headed to the start line an hour early because I did not want to be stressed out like I was in Cardiff trying to find my starting pen. I made sure I went to the toilet as soon as I found them and lucky I did because it soon got very busy and the queues were getting very long. I then headed to the pen I wanted which was sub 1:45 and waited there for the race to start.
It was a superb wintery sunny day and I was feeling good about the run. I joined in with the warm up which was upbeat and helped me get all geared up for the race ahead. I enjoyed the atmosphere at the start and the music playing definately got me focused for the race ahead.

The gun went off and away we went. I just went out at my own pace and kept saying to myself don't go out too fast yo've got a long way to go!! I would say it took about a mile and a half to warm up as my hands were freezing but  then I soon got into the run and I was enjoying the atmosphere and the crowds.

When coming back from the marina, we headed back towards the centre of Brighton and the crowds and support was fantastic. As we headed towards Hove we did not have as much support but it was still good.
I was feeling good until the last 2 miles when I really started to feel knackered and my legs were feeling very heavy. To see the finish line in sight after running past the world famous Brighton Pier made me very happy!!!
After crossing the line I realised I hadn't achieved my personal best time so I was very dissappointed.
However, I kept walking through the crowds of finishers and was handed a foil blanket which was fantastic and then handed an empty sweat shop carrier bag which I thought was a bit strange! Further a long I was handed a bottle of water, banana and my medal. I also got a wrist band with Brighton Half Marathon on it. A  t-shirt would have been better but hey ho.

Just passed the finishing line I saw a pink landrover parked up which was Katie Prices (also competing) so I had to have a picture taken next to it because I love pink!!

Even though I was dissappointed with not beating my time I still enjoyed the atmosphere and the day, especially the well deserved glasses of champagne afterwards!!

The next day I found out that the organisers had made a mistake with the distance and all our times were revised so I actually did get a PB. So I am chuffed to bits. 1 hour 42 09.......
So overall, I had a fab weekend in Brighton and looking forward to doing it again next year!!!

Brighton Half Marathon Blogg Update.......Wind Down......

Less than 2 Weeks To Go……….

OMG…… I cannot believe I have less than 2 weeks left until the Brighton half marathon. I was planning on doing the Watford half marathon as a training run but I had been advised not to, so I decided to skip it.

Lucky I did, because it was snowing!! I thought it would be a good training run but if I was to be honest with myself I do not think I would have been able to not race it. This is why I was advised not to do it but to save myself for the actual race.

I am looking forward to the Brighton half and want to achieve a personal best. I hope the nerves and adrenaline will help me through on race day.

I do feel my training is going well. I have managed to do most of my runs outside which is good but due to the snow I am going to have to do some training this week on the treadmill.

Some of my training sessions in the gym have involved:

Circuit

1 mile run on the treadmill @ speed 14.5 and completed in 6:45 minutes

Squat to row x 20

Chest press x 20

Leg extension x 20

Bike 3 minutes

and repeated the circuit again

Weights session included:

Squat 2 row 3/12

Push up 3/12

Hamstring curls 3/12

One legged squat 3/12

Leg extension 3/12

Leg press 3/12

6km run on the treadmill

Last week I did 2 hours on the treadmill which was extremely boring but I did it at a low speed as I just wanted to spend that amount of time on my feet. It’s important that your body is use to being on your feet for a constant 2 hours without a break.

I have been getting some advise by an experienced athletic coach, Lynda Palmer back in South Africa and she has advised me that as this should be my last week of hard training .

On Saturday I am going to do 5 miles followed by rest days on Sunday and Monday. On Tuesday I will do a 10 minute run and a few strides followed by another 10 minutes. On Wednesday I will rest and then on Thursday I will do the same workout as Tuesday. Then I will rest and hopefully be ready for race day on Sunday 19th February.

Bodyism Pancakes - You Have To Try It........

I absolutely love the Bodyism Pancake. I feel full and satisfied after having this pancake as my pre run meal and have lots of energy for my run. I would definately recommend trying the Bodyism Pancake.