Record Breaking Running

...........and I don't mean me.......though I did break a club record......but that's not the point here......

The decision about which 10 mile race to run at the weekend was almost an academic one, due to me having developed a great case of manflu after the weekend in Perth. I was having difficulty just breathing, and so the ability to sleep for longer than an hour seemed to have gone out of the window. Luckily, the bugs all stayed above the neck (so running actually eased the congestion), and by the weekend I was winning the fight. 

Saturday's 10 mile race was an inaugural one at Longtown, which my club was using as the second counter in our annual road race Grand Prix. Sunday's 10 miler was the 51st running of the Tom Scott memorial road race in Strathclyde Park, which was being used as the Scottish 10 mile championships, the West District championships and also the Scottish Veteran Harrier championships. The championship field would be a much greater test for me, which is why I opted for that race, though when I saw the beautiful wind free day on Saturday, I wondered if I'd made the wrong choice (but then again, I did have an extra 24 hrs to improve my breathing skills).

Sunday was also a clear day with no wind, though it was near freezing when I left Dumfries. Luckily the drive up the road saw the temperature rise a couple of degrees and as I have never been to Strathclyde Park without it being windy, it boded well for some good running.

And they're off.....

I had a slight drama right on the startline when my hair elastic snapped and I didn't have a spare. I didn't fancy running 10 miles constantly trying to get my hair out of my eyes, nose and mouth, but luckily my friend Fiona came to my rescue and lent me her spare one (note to self, secure your ponytail with 2 elastics just in case!).

The race was chip timed, but strangely enough their was no chip mat at the start. I guess the chips were there just to help with close finishes, but I hate starting at the front of races, as it takes me about 50+ metres to get my joints going. I still started my usual several rows back, but knew that I might have to actually get my head around racing right to the line if necessary (yes, I know most people do that anyway, but I've never been able to sprint so rely on distance).

Running with Fiona

The 10mile and 3.75mile race started simultaneously so it was impossible to work out who was racing who. I wasn't expecting an amazing performance after having the cold, so just ran on feel. Everybody seemed to go off incredibly fast, and although I tried my hardest not to be dragged along by the other ladies, I still went through the first mile in a much faster pace than I could maintain. I consciously steadied my pace to run my own race and was rewarded by being back in the leading pack of ladies at the point when the races separated. The long drag uphill alongside an amusement park seemed to go on forever, but when we finally returned to the lake shore, it was a relief to know that the whole of the second half of the race would be within sight of the water. Fiona Matheson and I were running side by side with Jennifer Emsley just behind, but at the head of the lake, Fiona pushed on and shortly afterwards Jennifer moved past me to chase her down. I knew that if I went with them, it would end messily for me, but I still had to give myself a good talking to as it would have been easy to slow down completely, and allow the whole field to pass me by.



Pushing to the line



Working my legs on the sharp rises made me realise that Jennifer was coming back to me, and surprisingly, I was just behind her again with a mile to go. It was tempting to just tuck in behind her, but as I know I don't have a sprint finish....and her legs are much longer than mine......I knew I had to go past early and then keep kicking.

I found it really hard to keep pushing all the way to the line, but managed it was rewarded with a shiny new PB, much faster than I could have dreamt of.



1 Race, 3 Medals...random!



Fiona had run a pressure-free race as her watch battery had died before the start, and so she couldn't keep checking her pace, splits and overall time. It worked really well for her, as she had a fantastic run, not only finishing as Scottish 10 mile champion, but also breaking the LV50 World Record for 10 miles........inspirational!

And, just quietly, I'm hanging on to that lucky hair elastic, as it was once owned by a record-breaker!!!

View From The Other Side

The period after a marathon can be a difficult time, leading many people to develop "post marathon blues". Suddenly you find yourself not training, but nor are you tapering, and you don't have that goal ahead to focus on. Rather than going over and over the race in your head, thinking "what if" and "if only" or making rash decisions about training and racing in the future, it's important to take some time out and have fun. 



Snow in Dumfries



The good old British weather did play a part in this for me as, having driven through snow on the way back from the airport, and it just got worse from there. On a couple of occasions during that first week, all the roads in and out of Dumfries were closed either by snow, or by drivers skidding in the snow. 

Still, I managed to get out with the girls from work for an afternoon and evening in the pub(s), which ended up involving karaoke, and when the roads cleared, my mother came to stay for a few days (which was lovely though she did say we did nothing but eat as I introduced her to my favourite coffee shops). I also caught up with a few friends who've been working overseas, but one of the main things I've done is to give something back to running and support others in their endeavours.

The "Self Transcendence 100k/50k" was being held in North Inch Park in Perth (no unfortunately not Australia). The 100k incorporated the Anglo-Celtic Plate home countries international and UK Championships, while both the 50k and the 100k were the Scottish Championships. The course consisted of flat traffic-free 2.4k loops around the park along the banks of the River Tay.

I had declined to run as part of the Scotland team so soon after the marathon, but when race organiser Adrian Stott asked me if would be the race doctor, I was keen to help out, support others, catch-up with some of the GB squad and actually get to know some more of the Scottish runners. I am fairly selective and so don't run that many races, especially not long distance ones, and of those that I do run, most are big races overseas so it was the first time I'd actually chatted to many of the Scottish squad (though strangely enough, I knew almost all of the English team).





Path up Kinnoull Hill



It was lovely to be able to enjoy the evening in Perth without worrying about racing the next day, so I got out for a trot up Kinnoull Hill (beautiful to be on the top, standing in the sun but surrounded by snow) and then checked out a lap of the course. It looked like it was going to be a fast race as the park was completely clear of snow an ice and there was a dead calm with no wind forecast. We were hoping that we might see several runners finish under the 7hr mark, as 3 of the English men had run sub 2:18 marathons.

At the evening briefing I gathered up all the medical forms and labelled them in race number order, highlighting any with pre-existing medical conditions, and divided them into 50k and 100k runners, as in an emergency, I might have had to ask an assistant to dig out a form for me. I took the opportunity to listen in to the Scottish team pep talk, which reminded the guys that although many of the English runners had faster marathon times, they didn't have so much ultra experience and so there was a good chance that they might fade later on into the event. Wise words from Adrian there!



Support tent and runners pre-start



Ready...Set....

After a sleepless night, made shorter by the clocks going forward, we were making sure that everyone was awake at 5 and having a good breakfast before heading down to the park (having to scrape ice off the windscreen didn't bode well for those standing around to support). There was a slight delay but it wasn't long after 7am that the runners set off on the first of their 42 laps. I didn't think there would be many medical dramas early on (except maybe frostbite in those trying to sort out food for the runners) so I took the opportunity to check out the medical room in the sports centre with its ice machine and defibrillator (fingers crossed for that not being needed). It was still quiet so I stripped off an outer layer of clothing and took the opportunity of running myself to appreciate the quietness of the park in the early morning (and mainly to keep warm). As per Hilary (the race referee), I started off in an anticlockwise direction, as the race was run in clockwise loops. I stuck to the outside of the cones so as not to impede anyone, but it was quite tight when passing through the feed stations and avoiding the timing mat, so I started running backwards and forwards in 3/4 laps, turning each time before I got near the pinch points. In order to ensure I didn't appear to be pacing anyone, I ran with different people each time I was going in the same direction as the racers, and made sure I included a Welsh, an English and a Scottish runner, and a mix of male and females. Hopefully, it was also nice for them to have someone different to chat to on one of their laps. It was lovely to be out running again, but I was happy to stop after a few laps........and didn't even slightly wish that I was racing, so had obviously made the right decision!

My only regret in the timing of my run, was that by the time I'd showered and changed, the feed station had no more hot bacon butties....but then again, their porridge was pretty fabulous!

 In a race such as this one, participants are generally quite experienced, so I didn't get the funny requests for medical aid that I've had before (eg bleeding nipples, or a splinter). In fact, after the 50k started at 10pm, the biggest casualties were actually members of the GB 24 hour squad, though luckily there was nothing serious to deal with.

It was great to watch how different race plans unfolded.......as we'd expected, some people went off very fast, but unfortunately didn't manage to take enough nutrition on board to sustain their efforts and so faded, while others got stronger and stronger as the race progressed. Experience really did show, and this was also reflected in the 50k race, especially in the ladies' field.




The lap counting/leader  board

Maybe it was the clock-change, maybe the weather, or maybe some totally unconnected reason, but unfortunately some of the volunteers didn't turn up to help.....or wandered off after helping for a short time. I couldn't help to support individual runners as I had to maintain "neutrality", but as long as I kept within sight of the medical tent and had my phone on me, I decided to get stuck in helping the others out (well, I needed to do something to break up my chain-eating of all the amazing cakes available). I ended up manning the 50k lap board. I now have total respect for those that do this job, as it is very hard to keep track of even a small number of runners in a lapped race. We had to look out for those in the 50k, both male and female, while ignoring the 100k runners, bearing in mind that they were all going different speeds and lapping each other. From time to time, we'd get a backup sheet from the chip timing system, but this was sometimes out of date by the time it got across to us. Add in to this, the difficulty of moving pins, names and numbers on a pin board when your fingers are freezing as you cannot do it in gloves, and then also having supporters and bystanders continually hassling you to correct certain runners' lap numbers and getting upset that you didn't do it yesterday! Volunteers are amazing.......the hard work they put in, while often getting lots of criticism from people who have no realisation that they are doing the best they can do!



Dan, the 100K champion



Helping with this job did have a big bonus......we knew exactly when people started their last lap so could let the announcer know, and got to cheer everybody home as they finished their race.....with proud smiles and flags flying.

The 100k was won in style by Dan Doherty of Ireland, who ran a steady race and stuck to his plan all the way through, and the Scottish boys came through to win the team competition as Adrian had predicted, using their experience of long races both on and off road. Emily Gelder of Wales won for the ladies.......for the 4th consecutive year, again showing how invaluable previous experience is. To back this up this observation , the clear winners of the 50k race were Paul Fernandez and Sue Harrison, both of who, I have met before at the world 50k championships and both of whom are experienced English ultra runners.

As for me, I had no regrets about not being out there running from a competitive point of view, but I also really appreciated the opportunity to watch and support others and just generally muck in and help as needed, often doing jobs that as a runner, I'd take for granted!

Barcelona Revisited

As it had only been 4 weeks since I ran the Barcelona Half Marathon, it didn't seem too daunting to be returning on my own for the Marathon.

DRC meeting in the pub

I was worried about my lack of conversational Spanish, but Gerardo (the race organiser) had arranged for me to be picked up at the airport and taken to the race hotel, which took a weight off my mind. It was really nice to be driven into the city in daylight, and then to be able to pop out and meet my DRC clubmates Seb and Craig for a beer before dinner.

I have to admit to feeling like a bit of an imposter at dinner, as when I looked around, almost every other runner was from East Africa. Still, maybe my half marathon position of "Fastest European" was still available for the full 26.2 miles.....

Saturday was a slightly odd day, as the Kenyans and Ethiopians had a "briefing" meeting at lunchtime so plan their pacing and discuss it with the pacemakers, and there was another meeting later on for the Spaniards/Moroccans, but I had the day to myself, apart from getting my number from Gerardo. Somehow I managed to fill it with incessant eating, relaxing and meeting up with friends in cafes.

I seemed to have shaken off most of the cold that had been pestering me all week - though a persistent headache was still nagging at me, but I hoped that when I started the next day, I'd forget about everything but the run ahead.

You worry about sleeping through breakfast when it's scheduled for 5:45am, but there's practically no chance of that, as most of the night before a big race is spent lying awake, fretting about the fact that you are still awake! Anyway, all too soon we were on the bus heading towards the start. I had a laugh with Edwin sitting next to me - he asked me how I was feeling and told me not to say what I "hoped to run" but to be confident and say what "I would run". What a nice young man.......and certainly one to watch in the future. He was going to pace the lead men up to the 35k mark, and is hoping to debut at the marathon later this year ("maybe 2:06 or 2:07") having run his last half marathon in 60:54!

As we shivered in the tents at the start, trying to dodge rain showers, I heard my name being shouted......it was Seb and Craig on their way to their start pen......lovely to see familiar faces amongst the 18,000 strong crowd!

After being allowed to warm up on the first couple of hundred metres of the course we were called back to the start line to clear the course so that the wheelchair race could begin. There was a good sized field consisting of racing chairs, hand cycles and "standard" wheelchairs being pushed by runners. A few minutes after that, there were a few announcements I didn't quite understand, and then everyone suddenly started running......so I guessed it must have been a countdown, and quickly switched my head into "race mode".

A lonely run (with 18000 others)...

Within 300m I was running alone. I could see some speedy packs of runners away in front of me, an Ethiopian lady not too far ahead, but apart from that there was no-one around. I had spoken to a lady on the start line who told me that she was only running the first 15k and so said she might be running a similar pace to me, but I didn't see her again after passing her 200m in. By the time I saw my friend Als cheering me on and blowing her samba whistle, I was frantically looking at my watch. I couldn't understand why I hadn't been surrounded by male club runners, and wondered if I'd set off at some ridiculous unsustainable pace. A check of my watch, at the 1k mark and again at the 5k mark showed that I was running exactly as planned, but it was eerily quiet as I'd now passed the Ethiopian lady and so could hardly see anyone ahead. Gradually, after about 6k, some of the men began to run past.......and I later worked out from seeing clocks registering times 2 minutes faster than my watch, that the first wave had started 2 mins after me. Unfortunately for me, this meant a very lonely race indeed, as those people running at about the same pace as me would be 2 minutes behind me, and all those passing me would be aiming for much faster times (though it meant that I could cheer a fellow Brit on as he ran past).

Whilst milling around before the start, another guy had mentioned that Barcelona was the only marathon in which he'd run a negative split, so I thought that the second half of the course might be faster than the first, so consciously steadied my pace so as not to get to the halfway point too quickly and have to pay for it later.

The race route

It was great to actually see the leading men running towards me just after they'd passed the halfway point, as the route briefly doubled back on itself. I waved at Tom who was pacing the leading lady and saw all 3 African ladies ahead of me. They were easy to spot as they'd spread out slightly and so each was accompanied by their own cyclist. A time check at halfway was reassuring......still on target pace......and I had the opportunity of then watching runners further back coming towards me, including the 2:45 and 3 hr pacemakers. I had tried to follow the blue line the road as far as possible ( though in places it did waver around as if painted by someone who'd had a few sangrias, but as this line went rather wide round many of the corners and hairpins, I realised it wasn't actually marking the optimum route.

There was an amazing amount of support en route........not just from Als (who did seem to pop up an amazing number of times, having usually asked a random stranger in the crowd near her to wave a saltire so that I could spot her with her camera and whistle) but from all the locals who lined the route despite the cold, wet conditions. It may be that I got extra support due to my position in the race, as everyone was very vocal and I heard "primera blanca" shouted many times, but whatever the reason, it was very welcome (though admittedly some people were so keen to offer support and spot loved ones that they actually caused obstructions to run round).

I have to say that I found the second half of the race rather tough, and it seems that I wasn't the only one. Looking at other people's 5k splits after the race, most of the field slowed down after halfway, so I actually maintained my position. A marathon is a long way to battle any wind, especially if you are not afforded shelter by other runners. The conditions were much more Scottish than Spanish, and I never once felt too warm while running. My shoes and socks became heavier and heavier as they got more sodden from the wet conditions, and I'm told that the strain was showing on everyone's faces as the race progressed. One of the toughest battles that I faced was with myself, as there was such a strong temptation to stop once I knew that I was no longer on target for the time I would have liked to run.

As an added sting in the tail of the race, the last few kms are uphill from the seafront, and you seem to be running up towards the columns of Plaza Espanya for a very long time without it ever getting any closer. I had remembered seeing the 42k sign as I was warming up, so I knew that when I turned that final corner, I still had a few hundred metres to go but eventually I made it, 86th overall and happily still as 4th lady.......1st European and 1st vet. I thought I was actually having auditory hallucinations when I finished, as they announced me as being Ukrainian, but I was back to being British in the results!

 DRC group hug

It looked like the Kenyan lady hadn't been that far ahead of me, as she was still being tended to by the paramedics just after the finish (she found the cold and wet a big difficulty), and I later found out (as friends at home had been tracking the race) that although I felt like I was running backwards in the latter stages, I had been closing her down. I have to take my hat off to the physio who was giving massages after the finish, as he didn't flinch in the slightest when removing my sodden shoe and socks so I could hop onto his table. I also discovered what a great changing room a saltire makes, so I was feeling more human again by the time I saw Seb and Craig for a group hug when they finished.

Rehydration

It was a tough run, but there is nothing you can do about the conditions, and although I was disappointed in myself, I can now see that it was still a performance to be proud of. I was closer to my target than most of the other runners that I started with, I can take comfort from the fact that I was a lot closer to 3rd than I was to 5th, and all the hard work that I've put in so far is still in the bank for the rest of the year. As Doug said in a text to me that evening, it's much better to have run well in those conditions and been close, than just missed it in ideal conditions!

Taper Tantrums

Well, I've reached the hardest bit of the training cycle.........the taper.

For anyone who hasn't gone through it themselves, it would appear that this is the best time in your running calendar, as you cut back on mileage while trying to make sure that you eat and drink plenty. All the hard work of training has been done, and its time to let the body rest up so that you can arrive at the start line feeling refreshed, eager, and with a spring in your step ready to run your best.

In reality, it's a period when you have time to worry :
Have you done enough?
Have you done too much?
Are your times what they should be?
You don't feel that you're running well, or are you running so well that you're "overdue" an injury?
Will that twist of the trailing foot come and haunt you several miles into the race?
Are your shoes too old and so lack cushioning?
Are they too new and hence aren't fully broken in?
Have you learnt from what went well and what didn't go well last time?
Is that niggle an injury developing?
Is that sniffle heralding the 'flu?

These thoughts go through everyone's head.......in fact, you'd probably worry if they didn't......and in my case, I cannot help thinking back to my last big race - the 50k in Italy - and worrying that I'll have a similarly bad experience, but I know that certain circumstances surrounding that race have not been repeated this time.......and so I've managed to learn from the experience.



Glasgow Uni 5





The way I deal with this is to accept that such thoughts are normal and to accept them rather than worry about them, and think about the positives of the training cycle. While reducing the overall quantity of my running, I try to keep the quality there. I actually ran a 5mile PB at the start of my taper, and then threw in a parkrun the next weekend to get some quicker leg turnover. Apart from that, the "taper fortnight" is wonderful for my garden, as I actually have some motivation to dig it over the beds, and I also have much more time and energy to catch up with friends, go to the cinema, eat more cake and so on. Anyone who knows me, knows that eating is something I have never had a problem with, but I do love the "carb loading" excuse (though to be fair, eating the usual amount but running less does probably equate to "carb loading").



Perfect for carb-loading!





As a medic, I guess I'm exposed to more than my fair share of bugs.......but amazingly, I've managed to avoid them all....that is right up until 6 days before the marathon, when I developed the dreaded sore throat and blocked nose. Now it's just a question of time......nothing more I can do training-wise....nothing more I can do health-wise......but what I can do is hope that I have a short-lived cold which won't stop me having a good weekend (with a 26.2 mile run in it)!!

Fun in The Sun

It was just what the doctor ordered.......some time to chill in the warmth and recover from the Barcelona Half, before picking up the training again. I had never been to Club La Santa before, and always thought of it a type of 18-25 holiday camp, but I figured that there must have been a reason why my clubmate Lisa had been there with her family 4years in a row.

Fun with a Fitball

Now that I've been, I can see the attraction and would love to go back.  Not only is it warm all year round, but the food is amazing, and you can do as much or as little as you like.....trying various different activities for free......and it's obvious how well it suits families with children, or families with different sporting interests. While we were there, we saw groups out for ballroom dancing weeks, triathlon training camps, swimming teams, and paralympic development squads, along with families and other holiday-makers.



Track running

It is easy to see how people do too much too soon (I don't mean just spending time in the sun, though there were some distinct lobster-tinges and interesting tan-lines wandering around) and spoil the rest of their trip by being knackered, as there is so much on offer, but luckily I needed some time to chill and recharge my batteries from the half marathon. A good way to start this was with a Pilates Reformer class in the sun on "the Lawn" and the next day, I ran a couple of laps of the 3-lap half marathon that Lisa was doing, at a nice sociable chatty pace.



Beach running



Lisa and I always joke that we feel like tyrannosaurus rexes in that we have strong legs and weedy arms, so while not having the pressure of work, it seemed an ideal opportunity to go to some full body conditioning classes over the week. The barefoot one also included balance exercises, the fitball class  was a giggle, going to my first ever Zumba class (in Danish no less) was comedy, and I actually woke myself up with a gentle snore in a "stretch and relax" class. It was nice to hang out with Lisa and the children while the guys were away cycling, but I also got some nice runs done (both on and off road) in the sun!

The most memorable run of the trip was suggested by Dave (Lisa's husband) as he'd been round the route on a bike - "a nice 10mile round trip to a village along the coast - go there on the trails and return via the road" - simple....or so I thought. The only problem was that after 6.5 miles of trying to run/scramble along v sandy paths and over volcanic rock, I had only come across a cove of nude sunbathers, followed by a cove of hoodie-wearing sunbathers......and no village. The "trail" rather reminded me of running across the Atacama. After eventually finding some houses and turning with relief onto the road home (whilst muttering some rude comments under my breath about never trusting an A&E doctor), I was then reminded of Comrades, as the tarmac road disappeared up a long hill into the heat and sun. I certainly earnt my ice cream that day!!

In the Greens' Cave



The Fire Mountains

After doing a particularly hot run (with a strong wind making me eat sand) it was almost surreal to read about friends at home running cross country races in the snow and mud, and also about the first sub-24 hour winter Ramsay Round. We also hired a car to see some more of the island, including the "Fire Mountains" and the "Greens' Cave", but I probably learnt more about Lanzarote than most people have forgotten, while on a trip to the police station in San Bartolome with Ana, a native Canarian Green team member (some missing money led to the discovery of the "mañana, mañana" way of the Spanish police).





 It was a great trip for some winter sun and warmth, and all in all I would definitely recommend Club La Santa to friends and family, but as soon as I was back to work, it all seemd like a distant memory ;-(

Barcelona

It isn't easy to find a good domestic half marathon early in the year, so when I noticed the Barcelona Half Marathon on February 17th, it seemed like too good an opportunity to miss. Not only was it an escape from the lovely Scottish winter weather, but an opportunity to see how training had been going, and a chance to see some of the Barcelona marathon course.



Sightseeing - the Arc de Triomf



I felt that I'd been training consistently and making some good progress, but in a way, I was scared to race and put it to the test. If all went well, I felt that I was in shape to run a new PB, but if things went wrong on the day, then would I dent my confidence and feel that all the effort I had put in had been in vain? In a way, I was happier feeling that things were going well, without testing myself and putting a number on it.



An epic trip out there did take the pressure away from the race. Not only was I out on house visits dealing with catheters just a few hours before the flight, but it seemed a long walk from Barcelona airport to the train station and then an even longer walk underground when changing from train to metro. All of this led to a late evening meal and even later night, causing some amusement on Saturday by waking up a good while after the race would start on the following morning. 

Race morning was cooler and damper than expected, but nothing like the weather I'd become used to at home. There were almost 15,000 entrants in the race so start pens were colour-coded, and there was a 2-wave start to ease congestion. Luckily I had an Elite start so could warm up on the course and nip in near the front, but I still found in busy on the wide boulevard. The sheer number of runners shooting off meant that you had to take some of the early corners rather wide (unless you were as speedy as the Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, who went on to win in an amazing 60:04) adding slightly to the distance but also making it appear in your race splits as if you hadn't gone off too fast!



Heading down to the Arc de Triomf, I spotted Doug waving a saltire, but also another lady in front that I had been gradually running down. I had no idea where I was in the field, but hoped that it was in the top 10 at least. The lady spotted me and put in a burst to push away - we were on a slightly downhill stretch in front of large crowds, so it was tempting to go with her, but I knew I was running faster than I'd ever run in a half marathon and we hadn't even hit the 10k mark yet, so I managed to be sensible and hold back. 

I soon caught and passed her, and realised with a jolt that a cyclist bearing a "3rd Dona" label was now sticking near me. It also meant that a group of men were keeping pace on my shoulder. At about 15k you can see runners a couple of km ahead of you doubling back on the other side of the dual carriageway, so I spotted the cyclists and then the leading ladies making it look easy. An added bonus is that when I turned back on the far side, I couldn't see any girlie runners close behind, so I hoped to be able to keep my cyclist right to the finish. Now, I know that I have a very sweet tooth, and do love churros (a typically Spanish type of long doughnut) but the smell of them cooking in a van at the side of the course after racing for 17k did turn my stomach. 



Yippee - No 3!

Seeing the sea meant we were almost turning for home, but a sneaky hill at 18k was almost the end of me. I must have looked as if I was flagging at this point as my cyclist started to encourage me (well, I think he did but I cannot be sure due to my scanty knowledge of Spanish). My watch beeped for the 13th time, I turned the corner and spotted a gantry...........yippee.....I was going to make it, and in a faster time than I'd dared hope for.  Florence came back to haunt me, as there were actually several gantries to display sponsors' logos before the actual finish with the clock above it, but some of the men sprinting past me spurred me on to keep pushing and I was rewarded with a "3" card being hung around my neck and a shiny new PB. 

Podium interview

Enjoying the post-race buffet!



I felt like the BFG on the podium next to some amazing runners (Atsede Baysa of Ethiopia won in 67:33 while Josephine Chepkoech of Kenya was second in 68:53), and I'm not sure whether the interviewers got much sense from any of us, but I'm sure I got the most enjoyment out of the post-race buffet.



In speedy company



Dissecting the day later over sangria and seafood (mmmmmmm, I could move to Barcelona), it was great to reflect on the benefits of a sensible pacing technique (my race splits were pretty consistent and I moved steadily up the field over the course - except for a couple of men outsprinting me at the finish) and to reap the rewards from steady consistent training (I've lowered my half marathon PB from 78:08 to 77:02 this year).

No More Big Brother.....

Don't get me wrong, I am completely against the use of performance enhancing drugs - I'd like to think that we all compete on a level playing field and success is a reward for hard work, dedication and sacrifice - and so am very much in favour of drug tests, but being part of a national registered testing pool can seriously impact on your life.

After winning a silver medal at the 2011 World 100k championships, I had my first experience of in-competition drugs tests. After running for so many hours, peeing into a cup in front of a witness is not the easiest thing to do (especially as every muscle protests at the thought of you getting up again once you've sat down). There were no prizes for the event, and the medals didn't even have proper ribbons, but it was a world championship event run by the IAAF (the International Amateur Athletics Federation) and so was subject to agreed rules and regulations. It was actually several months after the race that I received notification that I was now to be included on the national anti-doping register.

This is run by WADA ( the World Anti Doping Agency) and is actually more complicated than it sounds.........to the extent that an official had to come up from Birmingham to "train" me in how to use "My Whereabouts". It's easy once you become accustomed to it, but at first takes up a lot of time and worry. "My Whereabouts" is basically an online system into which you have to submit an address for every single day of the week and provide a daily 60minute testing slot between 6am and 11pm (yes, even on weekends).  One training session and venue should be entered for each week (though apparently it's OK to give a venue as "out of the front door and turn left") and if you do not have a race planned for every quarter, there should be a reason.

In my naivete, I thought that by submitting a 60 minute slot, you would be tested in this slot if your name came up, but this is not the case. You can be tested at any time, but it is only if you fail to do a test in your allocated 60 minutes that it counts as a "failed" test. In the time that I've been on the register, I've been tested an average of every few months, but testers have turned up at my front door at 7am on a Sunday morning, at 9:45 pm on a rainy weeknight, and a couple of times at my work. Once a tester has made contact with you, you cannot disappear from their sight......which can cause comedy moments as you ransack the house to locate your passport for proof of ID, or at work when you're in a meeting or about to start surgery.

The difference to "in competition" and "out of competition" testing is in a slight difference in what medications are allowed. It is advisable to check every medication, even something as everyday as a decongestant for a cold (pseudoephedrine is a stimulant found in decongestants), on a database before you take it. The same goes for any drinks, gels or supplements.......so the WADA app on my phone has been very useful. Any medications taken in the past week are declared at the time of a test, and some may require a medical exemption certificate to prove you actually needed to take them.

Now, as I said earlier, I am in favour of testing to keep the sport "clean" but I do find it quite funny, when I realise that many people running faster than me in races have not been subject to the same level of testing as I have. I generally don't go in for all night drinking sessions, but it is quite restricting to have to submit an address of where you are staying ahead of time. For example,  if I visit friends, I have to ask their permission to enter their address details onto the database, and depending on when I nominate my 60minute slot, it means I either have a curfew, or I cannot leave the house before a certain time - not easy if travelling.

This week I received notification that I can now be removed from the National Registered Testing Pool - and it is amazing how liberating it feels. Although I can still be tested at any time (and can be included in the Pool again), I no longer panic when going on holiday, as I was always worried I'd forget to update accommodation details, or forget time zone differences. I can also go away on the spur of the moment, go camping, or choose to stay somewhere just "because" -  but the main bonus for me is that I can return to taking part in overnight and multi-day events, (eg Mountain Marathons) which is where my love for running started!