Staying Grounded.....

 

Some people develop a love of running at a very young age, others are born into families with a background of sport, and then there are some, such as myself, who are definitely not "sporty" kids. I still remember being last to be picked for every team, having marks taken off for not "trying" at rounders (when I just couldn't sprint), and even taking a computing class for a term instead of PE.

Being selected not only to run at the Commonwealth Games, but at a Home Games, is therefore way above and beyond anything I could possibly have ever dreamt of doing. Some athletes have had the luxury of the time and opportunity to get away from the stresses of the uk (and the added benefits of being able to train at altitude), but my way of dealing with the pressure of it is by simply carrying on with my normal life. Yes, I have had to focus my training, but I've also been going to work as usual - nothing keeps you grounded like seeing sick people walking into your surgery every day, and then going out and visiting those who are too ill/frail to come in!

 

Even so (especially after last weekend in Stirling), events can catch up with you, and you suddenly realise the enormity of what you are a part of, and it can threaten to overwhelm you. In order to avoid this, I decided to have a weekend Not thinking about it, and just doing what I enjoy doing. Therefore, this blog update is not about running - although I admit that most of the people in it do have links to me via running.

 

After finishing work on Friday, I started the weekend off with a visit to my good friend Ian (we went to run across the Atacama Desert together, and he was also in the New Orleans marathon when I first broke the 3 hour barrier). Running talk was put to one side as we caught up over tea and biscuits (and looked at plans for the new hospital to be built in Dumfries) but I made it home in time to watch the Diamond League on TV. I wanted to watch the races live to avoid hearing the results first, but rain was forecast for later, so spent the evening doing shuttle runs from mowing strips of my lawn in to watch the TV and back out again!!

 



The 800m and 1500m



Doug at the Diamond League



Betsy Mae at 24hours old with her supporter's pin



Another good friend couldn't make it to Saturday's continuation of the Diamond League, and so offered to sell me his tickets. Who better to go and watch world class athletics with than Doug, who has been a friend, sounding board and mentor to me since I started  this running m'larky (we ran Mountain Marathons as a team and went out to my first Comrades together)? It was great to see how Hampden has been converted from a football stadium into an arena for athletics, and there were some amazing performances that day. The highlights for me were the funny antics of an American high jumper, the Brits in the ladies' 800m, the Brits (well esp the Scots) in the men's 1500m and David Rudisha in the 800m - he was amazing, pulling away from the field, while appearing to be out for a jog!

 

When the athletics finished, we dropped in for a cuddle with Betsy Mae McDonald (Doug's granddaughter) - who must be one of Team Scotland's youngest supporters!!

 



On Sunday, Scott (another running friend) had offered to be chauffeur for the day, though he probably regretted that offer later. After picking me up bright and early, we set off for a drive into the countryside, only to be greeted by signs that the roads ahead was closed and that there was a "diversion" in place. The signs weren't exactly placed very well because after an hour of driving down tiny winding roads, we were back to where we started. We thought that mayeb the signs were old and so risked carrying on the original route anyway, but no....the road was actually shut and the roadworker there told us that the drive round was >60miles.

 

To fortify ourselves for this, we had to stop for coffee and carrot cake (a lovely new cafe discovered, so there was a silver lining to that cloud). It also meant that we missed seeing some friends finish a half marathon, but at least got there to catch them for their cool down and encourage some of those running their first race!

 



My "Games Moment" of the weekend



By then it was time for a very late, but very nice lunch - how lovely it is to eat seafood while sitting looking out over a harbour/the sea with a chilled glass of wine! A chickflick in the early evening and I was dropped back home in time to watch the end of the World Cup (and celebrate a joint win in the bank sweepstake!!).

 

It was a great stress-free weekend, with only two token "Games Moments" - trying on my Opening Ceremony outfit, and checking out the location of the Scottish Athletics holding camp - so now I feel able to concentrate on the next couple of weeks, as I think there may be some upcoming sporting events in Glasgow!

Team Camp #GoScotland



This weekend was "Team Camp" up at Stirling University. There was a busy timetable of lectures,but part of the idea was for people to get together and meet each other. In total, 310 athletes have been selected to represent Scotland at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, covering 17 different sports, but many of us do not know each other. Athletics is the biggest team (followed by swimming) with 58 competitors, but even within athletics, I hardly know any of my team mates - "Ah, the loneliness of the long-distance runner" - probably because most track and field athletes meet at various events, but marathons tend to be separate. Hence, I was rather nervous about the whole weekend - and also worried about giving up the whole weekend 3 weeks prior to the race, as weekends are the main time available for training without the daily intrusion of work!

 

It didn't start well (well, actually it did because I eventually managed to find where to go to myself - Scottish Athletics were rather non-specific with "Stirling University" as the destination) as my name was misspelt on the lists, passes etc. It was, however, a good thing to pick up on, as it can hopefully be corrected in time for my official accreditation pass to match my passport (otherwise there'll be no entry to the Athlete's Village or Venues for me).

As I'd arrived early, I sussed the lay of the land and so by the time I met Ross (Houston - a fellow marathon loner), I could get him sorted with a Team t-shirt and photo before the sessions started.

 

To break the ice, we all had to practice a supporter's fist pump to the shout of "Go Scotland"! It was loud, but hopefully not as loud as we'll hear during the Games though, due to the marathon route passing through certain suburbs, Ross and I came up with our own hashtag of #GoVan!! That led us on to chat about the other athletics team members hearing the "Hampden Roar", while we get the "Glasgow Green Groan"!

 



With Team PingPong



Stirling University has a lovely campus with plenty of greenery and a central lake, so we could sit outside at lunchtime (having a laugh with Team PingPong) and watch the baton arrive, and I had a lovely walk in the evening, wandering around trying to find the dining hall. Slight schoolboy error when I had a look at a campus map before going for an easy morning run - there appeared to be a road that skirted round the outside of the campus, but unfortunately the map was clearly not to scale, as when I headed up said road, it appeared to climb up a 1000ft hill!

 



Opening Ceremony Kit



All in all, it was a good weekend and enabled me to put some faces to names, both within the Athletics Team (and management) and Commonwealth Games Scotland. We found out some useful information about the Games themselves and it really started to dawn on me just what I'm going to be a part of. 

 

Kit bags ready for collection



Nursing Home escapee?



One of the most memorable moments of the weekend was seeing the Opening Ceremony kit being unveiled to us on the Saturday (public launch Sunday). There was initially quite a shocked silence, but as Sir Chris Hoy put it - it is not about what an individual is wearing, and may not be to everyone's taste when seen alone, but all together, under the lights in Celtic Park - what an amazing impact it'll make! When we all picked up the kit on Sunday, you could look round the hall and see everyone so full of joy and laughter - that's what it's all about! I for one, cannot wait for the honour of wearing it and standing up for Scotland with everyone else ("17 sports, One Team") - and for all the naysayers, I'd be interested to see how many  refused to wear it, if they'd earned the right to!

 

 

For me, the stand-out moment of the whole camp was one that took me completely by surprise. One of the last things we heard was the new version of "Flower of Scotland" which will be played at medal ceremonies - I couldn't believe how much emotion washed over me, and I think half of the room were in the same position, trying to avoid anyone seeing the tears pricking at the back of our eyes - WOW!! and it still gives me the shivers just thinking about it!

 

#GoScotland

Creative Nature Bars



My mixed box



Everybody who knows me seems to comment on my (rather large) appetite, and my sweet tooth. In the past, some people have said that they "won't offer me a biscuit as I'm training for a marathon".....nooooooo.......when I'm training I just get hungrier. I'm also fairly lazy at preparing healthy snacks in advance and often grab whatever I can to tide me over, so I know that healthy nutrition is something I could do better.

My box at work was depleted
 when I was away

I was introduced to creative nature bars by another marathon-running friend, but I have to say I was slightly dubious about them. I wasn't sure that anything low in fat with no added sugar could taste nice, especially when I saw the additional dairy-free and gluten-free comments. Never have I been happier to be proven wrong, as I've now found a much more healthy treat to have post-run (the seed bars are high in protein and so aid recovery post-workout) and as a boost pre-run (I hate running when feeling hungry, and the berry bars give you a more natural sugar rush than my previous snacks). I've made a promise to myself to try to improve my nutrition, so here's to a good start......and judging by how a box I kept in my room at work was depleted when I was away......non-runners like them too!

NDURE Flasks

A late call-up to run the marathon for Team Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow meant that I suddenly had to kickstart my running. The call coincided with a run of rather hot, sunny weather, so it was perfect timing that I had just received some NDURE hydraflasks to try out.
I have had some foot problems in the past and so eased my way back into some mileage on the trails in the local forests. There is nothing worse than seeing litter along these beautiful trails, so the NDURE flasks were ideal for me. I could drink to maintain hydration in the hot weather, but as they compress as you drink, it meant I didn't have to carry sloshing waterbottles as they emptied, and when completely empty,they were small enough to fit into my shorts pockets. I also did some faster efforts on road, and the shape/material of the flasks made them easy to grab from a friend at the side of the road. The compressibility pairs with the bite valve meant that it is easy to get the liquid out with the minimum of effort, yet they are also easy to refill......so I'll definitely be using them again, on both on- and off- road runs.

A Whole New World....

I was flattered to be invited to join two Elite English marathoners (Aly Dixon and Amy Whitehead) on a course recce in Glasgow at the weekend, as although I was sure that I'd covered some of the route in either the Women's 10k or the Glasgow Half marathon, I wasn't quite sure of the exact laps set for July.

I confess to a very poor night's sleep beforehand, partly due to an early start to make it up to meet them soon after 7am (in order to avoid traffic, pedestrians, shoppers etc on the route) and partly due to my worry that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the pace!

The route we should have run!

Luckily, the run was at a relaxed pace, and it wasn't too hard to get the others to use their breath for conversation. As I listened to them chat about the merits of running on the tartan track or the dirt track in Iten, and single vs double runs on other trips to altitude, I felt like I was entering a whole new world!

In actual fact, both ladies were lovely running companions, and spent time putting me at my ease and talking through previous events and competitions - both preparation for, the run up to, and the actual event itself, to try to allay my fears and answer some of my questions (without even commenting on whether I was asking ridiculous things or not!). I came away from the trip tired, but having really enjoyed the run, seen the route (with some slight extra detours), and soaked up (hopefully) lots of their tips, knowledge and experiences!

Time to Rediscover the Roads



Playing on the hills



I was delighted to break the magic 2:40 barrier in Frankfurt last year - but unfortunately my mishap at Seville this year meant that I could not improve on that time. After Seville, I learnt that the rules of the Commonwealth Games meant that no reserves were allowed. This was rather disappointing as I had the slowest time of the 4 of us that had run under the qualifying time. Whilst I would never wish an injury on anyone, and have complete respect for the talent of the three faster ladies, a nice story, such as a pregnancy announcement, could have meant that a reserve was called up.

Still, when I saw the marathon team announcement in April (after the London marathon), I knew it was not going to be. Without a target race, I had the luxury of drifting a bit. I could enjoy playing on the hills and trails, running for fun rather than focussing on road training, and managed to run in some events (old and new) that intrigued me.

The marathon route

It was therefore rather a shock to come back from holiday and receive a phone call from Scottish Athletics, telling me that I had been substituted in at the final track and field selection meeting. The call came late in the evening and so, although I didn't sleep well overnight (unsurprisingly), I did wonder if I'd dreamt it on the following morning. Several thoughts were whirling round in my mind - I was obviously devastated for Freya, having to pull out with an injury at such a late date, but I was delighted to have the chance to run on the roads for Scotland in Scotland. Equally, I was petrified at the thought of the event, with all of its ensuing publicity, and how I might embarrass myself, my family, and my friends. I only have a few weeks to prepare, but I want to get my body and mind into the best form I can, enjoy the run on the day, and indeed the whole experience, as that is all anyone can ask of themselves. I think the next few weeks will be a combination/permutation of eating, sleeping, working, running, stressing and so on - but with a bit of excitement added in! I'm sure everyone will understand if I appear to withdraw and become less sociable than usual, but it'll be worth it when I see you on the streets of Glasgow on July 27!

NOT running Comrades

In order to perform to the best of your abilities, you need to be on top of your game. Most people know that if you want to run a good race, you need to be physically prepared - ie properly trained, tapered and injury-free. What a lot of people forget is the mental preparation - the focus, the commitment, the desire, and the quiet self-belief that comes from a good build-up.

This is true for any event, but I think that mental strength is especially important for an event such as Comrades. The events in Seville earlier in the year rather knocked me for six when it came to busy race starts, and the Comrades start had many similarities with Seville. The elite men and women start at the very front, with the "fast men" right behind. The fact that Comrades also has "hotspots" (cash prizes for the first man and woman to reach certain distances on the course) means that more people go off really hard, despite the length of the race. From memory (I ran the "down" race 2 years ago), there are also many catseyes in the roads leading out of Pietermaritzburg, and the fact that it is still dark when the race commences (5:30am) meant that I was even more petrified of being tripped/knocked down again than usual.



Chilling at Ephesus

 

Finishing 4th in a previous Comrades

Having finished in 4th place in both 2012 and 2013, I know how hard the race can be, and so for the reasons mentioned above, I decided to withdraw from the 2014 event rather than run an unsatisfactory race that I wasn't satisfied with, which I would see as letting both myself and Nedbank down. As race day approached, I wasn't sure if I'd made the right decision, but I did have other things to look forward to - ie a holiday with my Aussie relatives, whom I love dearly and don't see often enough.

Ephesus with my Rellies

 



In the Grand Bazaar



I firmly believe in living my life by the motto that you only regret the things that you don't do, not those that you do - and while I did have some regrets over NOT running Comrades (especially when I saw the results - as I'd have love to have been there to help celebrate my friend Ellie's awesome victory - breaking the 11 year winning streak of the Russian twins), I had a great holiday seeing a new place with some amazing people, and know that I can come back to Comrades in the future with more of a hunger and desire to run it well!!