Update: Fantastic Jantastic and my second half marathon

After a predictably sedentary Christmas, I knew it was time to get my arse into gear come January.

When I read about Jantastic, it seemed like the perfect way to motivate myself to ensure I kept at least three workouts in the diary every week. It's a really simple concept - set yourself a workout goal each month and then log what you've managed - but for someone like me who is the queen of excuses, it's been a great way to keep myself accountable.

I hit my goal for week one and I'm on track for a successful week two as well - we'll see how the rest of the month goes!

I've also been sorting some races out for the coming year. As I've said before, there's nothing like the gut-wrenching fear of knowing you've got to run in front of potentially thousands of people to get you training!

I'm really excited to have signed up for my second half marathon, the Vitality Run Hackney Half Marathon. It looks like a great race and I can't wait for May to arrive (although I guarantee you I won't be saying that in a few months) so I can get stuck in. A few friends of mine will hopefully also taking part and it will certainly be a little easier to reach than Liverpool! 

(credit)

Other race dates in the diary so far are the Cancer Research London Winter Run 10k and the British Heart Foundation Regent's Park 10k.

There's even been mention of possibly doing Survival of the Fittest later in the year...*gulp* 

So 2015 looks like it's shaping up pretty well. I've been having a little think about what I want my goals to be but that's a post for another day. For now, it's time to get back on 10k form!

Harris x

Did you run the Run Hackney half marathon last year? What races are you excited for this year?

In search of the fear factor (or help me find a race!)

There's no motivation quite like sheer terror. And for me sheer terror is usually what I feel before a race. 

I'm currently enjoying doing lots of little runs (nothing more than 5k) but there is NO progress happening right now. If anything I feel like I'm going slower…ERGO I need to get me signed up for some more races baby!

I know, I know, I've picked a bit of a stupid time as there seem to be far less during the autumn/winter months. But surely there are some out there?

I'm currently on the hunt for a nice early spring half marathon (yes, I'm going to put myself through that all over again dammit I will do it faster and stronger and generally better) as well as some 10ks (preferably at least one or two before Christmas). 

Seeing everyone having a great time doing the Royal Parks left me hankering to try out another half, especially since I haven't run further than 10k since the Liverpool Rock'n'Roll. I'm currently considering applying for a charity place for the Brighton half. I've heard lots of good things about running in Brighton so it would be lovely to try a half there. There's also the Adidas Silverstone half in March, although I'm slightly suspect about the route - it sounds a little boring to me, although I might well be wrong. 

As far as 10ks go, I'm not too sure. My flatmates and I are considering doing a 'Mo Run' for Movember (plus I look damn good with a tache) but other than that I'm slightly stumped.

Harris x

Do you need to be TERRIFIED (slash just have some races planned) to feel motivated? Have you got any race suggestions for me? 

Liverpool Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon: 25rd May 2014

Well it only took me four months but FINALLY here's the story of my first ever half marathon!

For those of you who have followed me from the start, you'll know how terrified I was when I started out running. The 5k was a big deal. The 10k was frightening. But now I am a HALF MARATHON RUNNER. YEAH.

Ready to Rock'n'Roll (joke had to be made soz)

In all honesty I probably wouldn't have chosen to do the Liverpool Rock'n'Roll as my first ever half, mainly because I live nowhere near Liverpool. Like not even remotely close. But when I won myself a place back at the Write This Run conference in November, I couldn't really turn it down.

So come May I found myself lining up at the start line near Liverpool Docks, with my usual "What the HELL am I doing?!" mantra preventing all rational thought about the race ahead.

Spot the (utterly terrified) Harris

But, as has been proved to me each time I've run a new, longer race, it was absolutely FINE.

I was worried about running the full half distance as the most I'd ever done in training was 15k - 13.1 miles translates as something like 21k so it was still a fair bit more than I'd ever actually run. Although I was knackered by the time I hit 11 miles, there was no point where I felt like I just wanted to collapse. I actually felt at the very end of the race that I had a little bit left in the tank.

I also took a bit of a chance by accepting a gel about three quarters of the way around the course. I've never used gels before and I know most people warn against trying them for the first time during a race. But I had a tiny mouthful of the gel every five minutes or so and felt absolutely fine. To be truthful I'm not convinced it even helped me particularly, although I don't really have anything to compare it to. It did, however, cover my hands in weird orange goo.

I (very inexpertly) had a bit of tape on my knee as I had been feeling a constant niggle in my previous few weeks of training. Happily it was no problem during the race and seems to have gone away now after plenty of foam rolling.

Running through China Town

Apart from the finish line, this was my favourite moment

It was really great getting to see a new city as part of the run - Liverpool is such a varied place and the route was great, taking us past the iconic Cavern Club, through the city's parks and dockland and some nice residential areas too. I'd certainly like to explore the city again...maybe on another run!

The route felt well-organised to me, although my only criticism would be that the whole idea of the Rock'n'Roll marathons is that there are lots of bands. I was under the impression that this was at every mile, but I only saw about 5. It was a lovely way to break up the run but I just felt like it would have been nice to see a few more!

I finished with a chip time of 2:21:51 - I'd been hoping for under 2:30 so was very pleased with this, although I do feel like I could have maybe done about 2:15, since I wasn't totally spent at the finish line.

Sweatiest post-race pic so far

Earned me some heavy metal

I'm really proud to be able to say I've completed a half marathon and am super keen to do another, hopefully in a slightly faster time. I had a few moments, particularly on the home stretch of the half marathon as I ran back along the banks of the Mersey, which felt completely surreal and I was half convinced I was going to wake up and find it was all a dream. But I did it.

Thank you so much to those of you who tweeted/emailed/texted me with support along the way - it makes all the difference. Also thank you to everyone who helped me with advice as I was training, you guys were so helpful.

Also a HUGE honorable mention goes to my friend Rachel. Rach was meant to be running the race with me but after struggling hard against an injury in the end she was forced to pull out. Rach also lives nowhere near Liverpool, but both she and her mum helped put me up for the night, fed me, looked after my big bag of race junk and then cheered me on at the finish line. Rach could have just stayed at home in South Wales but no, she supported me the whole way, What a mega babe.

I'm not convinced I'll move on to marathons yet but I'm definitely planning on signing up for another half! Any recommendations?

Harris x

Update: A thousand and one ways to worry about your first half marathon

AAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGHHHHHHHHHHH

That's pretty much all that's going through my mind now that the Liverpool Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon is almost here.

Looks like this is really happening.

That and a whole list of worries including:

• What if I just can't do it?
• What if my knee gives out (it's been giving me a bit of gip)?
• What if I fall over?
• What if I have a wardrobe malfunction?
• What if I have an explicable need to go to the toilet?
• What if I somehow miss a route marker and get completely lost?

And the list gets longer and longer the closer I get.

The first is definitely the most prominent - what if I just can't do it? I've done just over 15km in training and a half marathon is 21k. Maybe I'm woefully underprepared. Maybe I was lazy and slapdash with my training. Maybe I haven't thought nearly enough about my nutrition (last night's Domino's counts as good carbo-loading right?). Maybe I should have got my knee properly looked at. Maybe it's all going to go totally tits-up.

But enough of the relentless worrying, it's too late to turn back now. I travel up to north Wales tonight to stay with a friend before tomorrow's painfully early start and trip over to Liverpool. The day is almost here and although my primary feeling right now is simply sheer terror,  I must admit I'm also incredibly excited. I've read so many race reports of half marathons and now it's finally my turn. I'm running a half marathon!

So maybe it will all go wrong. Or maybe, just maybe, it will work out. 

Please keep your fingers crossed for me!

Harris x

Dear Running, I'm sorry I cheated on you

Dear Running,

I'm back. But I guess I should explain where I've been.

We've been having problems for a while now. I know you've felt it too but I didn't know how to address them. And so I cheated on you. With the gym.

I was seduced by those shiny machine, that loud music, those promises of a toned body (also the steam room...mainly the steam room). I forked out my money. And I really do like the gym.

I felt guilty about it, but I didn't want to face up to it and so I stopped blogging. You can't have a running blog without any running right? I've even been avoiding reading about you because it made me feel guilty.

But now it's time for a reality check. It's only nine weeks until the Liverpool Rock and Roll Half Marathon. And you and I need to be able to go the distance. 13.1 miles to be precise.

The gym is still important to me, and probably quite good for me. But it's time to focus on you and me now.

We've always had a love-hate relationship (often a lot more of the hate part) but I sometimes forget how much you've done for me. Without you, I'd be in a very different place right now. I'd be in a very different dress size too probably.

So I'm sorry Running. I'm sorry I abandoned you and cheated on you. Things are going to be different from now on.

Harris x