Category: Training

Loch Ness Marathon – RACE REPORT

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LOCH NESS MARATHON 2013

Official time: 4 hours 16 minutes 17 seconds

Overall: 1441 out of 2697

Medal : Yes, my biggest one to date!

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A little delayed in writing this, but there has been a little bit of laptop hogging in the Mackay household of late… but here we go.

A week (and another half marathon!) later, I am still on a post marathon high. Mainly because a few years ago, after I completed my first half marathon, my knees were in so much pain I vowed I would never run anything more than a 10k again as I just wasn’t built to run. Well I guess something eventually clicked and I realised that with a little more effort, maybe I could run distances. And here I am, 6 half marathons and a few too many 10k’s later… and I have comfortably (I use the term VERY loosely!) completed a marathon.

Since I joined The Wee County Harriers, my training has really stepped up a gear. Long weekend runs used to be a tedious affair, on my own with my music. But since I joined the club, I get to talk nonsense at weekends and the miles fly by. What a difference it makes, and what a lovely bunch they are….

One Sunday, too early, very tired, but this crazy lot help me through it every week :)
One Sunday morning, far too early, very tired, but this crazy lot help me through it every week 🙂

Anyway, I digress. Last Saturday we set off for Inverness mid afternoon, got to our B&B, checked in and then headed over to pick up our race numbers for the big event the next day. At this point the reality of it still hadn’t set in. I was about to push my body to do the biggest racing event of my life so far, I was going to have to run for hours and hours and hours, and here I was skipping about Bught Park not giving it a second thought.
And then we went out for dinner and almost every single pasta/carb based restaurant in Inverness was stowed out with runners, chatting about the upcoming event in the morning, and how they got on last year, and how the course was really hilly and THAT hill at 18 miles…
And that’s when it finally kicked in that I was about to run a marathon. Something I had laughed at the thought of a few years earlier and something I swore I would never do. Oh well, here goes nothing!

All checked in and ready to go, secretly wishing Nessie would emerge and tow me to the finish line!
All checked in and ready to go, secretly wishing Nessie would emerge and tow me to the finish line!

After dinner we headed back to our B&B and I got all my kit ready for the next day, pinned on my race number and made sure I had everything I needed in my race belt. I’d had a look at the weather and thought although it looked dry I didn’t trust it, so decided to wear two vests – one as a base layer and also to stop my race belt chaffing, and then my club vest on top. My body was physically shattered, but I just couldnt switch my brain off and I was over thinking everything. As Craig dozed off into a relaxed slumber, I lay staring at the ceiling of our tiny B&B room and tried to fall asleep watching the T.V. I think I got a bit of sleep between 11pm and 1am and then from there until 5.30am it was a case of dozing for a bit on and off until I snapped fully awake, gave up and got out of bed just before my alarm. I was up way before the B&B started serving breakfast, but the land lady had said the previous day she would leave out cereal and fruit for us. I wasn’t sure at what point the milk had been left out, but the thought of room temperature milk did nothing for my already depleted appetite, so luckily I had brought along my own porridge pots and some flapjacks which I had along with a couple of coffees. By 6.45am I was ready to go, so I got my stuff together, put on my throw away top which I had bought the previous day and headed down to the buses to meet up with the rest of the crew.

The sun was just coming up as I walked over to the park and the roads were empty and quiet apart from a steady stream of runners, appearing from hotels all the way along the river. Jemma was already at the park and I met up with my brother in law Stuart (who was also running his first marathon), had a quick dash to the loos and made our way to one of the many coaches which would be our mode of transport down to the bottom of Loch Ness to our race start destination. The coaches starting moving bang on 7.15am, so we eventually found our way to a double decker and within a few minutes we were off! This was it, no other way back now!

The majority of the journey flew by, but once I realised how far we were actually going, nerves set in again and I was suddenly desperate for the loo. Unfortunately the last part of the bus journey is all up hill and the coaches slowed down to a crawl at this point. Getting to our destination was a very welcome sight!

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Pre race. Nervous about what I am about to ask my body to do, but excited all the same!
Pre race. Nervous about what I am about to ask my body to do, but excited all the same!

The queues for the toilets were ridiculous. The queue was coming from both directions and people were skipping it all over the place. I guess there’s only so much you can do for 3000+ people who all the need the loo at the same time though! The countdown had now begun and we decided there was nothing left to do, no more we could do, but head to the start line and await our fate. This was finally it. What I had thought I would never manage. I saw a few club members, wished them luck and then bang on 10am we were off.

The first 5 miles or so were on a lovely down hill slope and very overcrowded. This caused me to go way too fast and I probably should have held back a bit for later in the race, but I just couldn’t stop my legs. A mixture of adrenaline and just getting swept along with the crowd made my first 5 mile splits all under 9 minutes. And then came the first wee climb…

The course elevation. Didn't realise how high we had started until I looked at this!
The course elevation. Didn’t realise how high we had started until I looked at this!

That hill came out of nowhere and was steep! I pushed right to the top and then enjoyed the next few miles of gentle ups and downs and felt positive and strong as I fuelled myself with powerade and shot blocks. One of the things I really loved about this event was the amount of support. Not just from people standing along side the roads and through villages, but the runners themselves. Random people passed me and cheered me on, giving me a little boost every now and again and it was just fab!

Still running steady!
Still running steady!

I felt great until about 16.5 miles (I think) coming into Dores. I took a bottle of water and realised it didn’t have a lid, so I walked to take a proper drink and then just couldn’t seem to get my speed back up. I knew the hill was coming up soon so I tried to push on a bit further, but something in my leg started to ache. I tried to ignore it and got chatting to a lady as we started the plod up the hill, but it just kept burning away. I decided not to push it with so far still to go and walk the hill thinking the downhill section at the other side would help the pain. But no, it hurt even more. So from there I saw my 4 hour goal time slip slowly out of sight (up til now I had been on course for a comfortable sub 4 time, but this hill had seen an end to that!). I hobbled on, half running-half walking and then was caught up by two runners from my club, Susan and Catriona. Susan was running really well and as she passed me she said Catriona wasn’t far behind. I ran with Catriona for a bit, hoping the pain would subside and I could get my focus back, but it was useless. I had to drop back to a hobble again and let them slip out of my sight over the hills. This stupid pain was not going to end my race though, I had worked too hard and for too long to give in. So after forcing down another gel and some water I pushed on for the final undulating stretch of the race. Sub 4:30 was still in sight and that was what I was aiming for – nothing left to do but move these legs for the final 5 miles.

Coming back into Inverness the crowds started to grow and grow. This was just awesome. Big groups of charity supporters were standing either side of the road with foam hands and plastic horns and they were cheering everyone on. It was just fantastic! I pushed on and on and suddenly a lady passed me who I had seen much earlier in the race. We had been playing a game of cat and mouse for 4 or 5 miles and eventually she got away from me in Dores, and she said “come on Wee County, not far to go!”. How lovely. That really helped at this stage and I knew I would be able to run the final few miles, no matter how much my body wanted to shut down. Coming down along beside the river, you can see and hear the finish line on the other side. I was tempted to jump in and swim across, but I knew that wasn’t an option so I kept plodding round only to spot Karen and Claire from the club who had earlier completed the 10k. Their cheers and support definitely helped in that last mile and a bit and before I knew it, I was on the other side of the river looking back at the other runners making their way around and probably thinking my exact thought not 10 minutes previous. I could see the finish line and hear all the names being shouted out as the crossed it and from somewhere, I have no idea where yet, managed a proper run once again. I spotted Catriona walking just before the park, hung back for her and together we managed not only a sprint finish, but a SMILING sprint finish!!

Where'd that smile come from?
Where’d that smile come from?

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And that was it. I had completed my first marathon! I felt a rush of pride, excitement and possibly slight nausea as I collected my beautiful medal and goodies, including Baxters soup (of course!), an awesome race t-shirt and lots of food!

It wasn’t quite the time I’d had in mind, but for my first marathon I was elated. I’d finished it smiling and that was enough for me! After a good stretch and some fluids, we were back in the car on our way home, sleepy, happy and a marathon runner.

And now for the Ultra…..

I even made Women's Running magazine with my thumbs up pose en route. Famous!!
I even made Women’s Running magazine with my thumbs up pose en route. Famous!!

Stirling 10k – RACE REPORT

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STIRLING 10K 2013

Official time: 48:17 – NEW PB!!

Overall: 410th out of 750 (plus a few more whose chips fell off!)

Division: 42nd out of 94

Gender: 94th out of 290

Medal : No, but we did get a technical t-shirt and goody bag with jelly beans, caramel wafer and water

The way in which I have come to view a 10k has changed so much in little over a year. This time last year it was my favourite distance and one that was comfortable and enjoyable. This time last year Jemma and I were gearing up for a nice run, maybe a PB, but more than anything a fun run in my neighbouring city. This time round it was all change. This time I have been training all year long, working on my strength, focusing on a fast time, scrutinising my mile split times and feeling a lot of pressure (only from myself of course!). 10k is no longer a stroll in the park, it’s pretty much a 6 mile sprint!!

This is exactly what I didn't want to see...
This is exactly what I didn’t want to see…

I woke up early when Craig’s alarm went off and 2 things were on my mind straight away. 1) It’s 6am, why is it still dark outside? and 2) is that rain I can hear battering off the window? And yes it was. Horrible, thick, heavy blobs of rain were being driven in all directions and at that exact moment all I wanted to do was go back to bed and curl up under my lovely thick winter duvet, which has just been brought back out of hiding. So that’s what I did, until 7.15am when I rolled out of bed and had another look at what I was about throw myself out into. It didn’t put my already anxious mind at ease at all. I’ve piled the pressure on myself for weeks about this race as it’s flat and fast and I hadn’t run anywhere close to my pb time of 48:55, which I set at the Jack Crawford 10k back in March, since. I knew I had a chance of a good time as the last flat race I ran was the Bring Bash 5 race in July and every mile was under 8 minutes, so I knew there was a possible chance, but with it being a much bigger race (dogging and weaving past people has never been a strong point of mine) and also the weather was putting a downer on things, I didn’t want to get my hopes up too much, only to be disappointed. Rain I don’t mind in the slightest, but wind and rain together are a foul combination. Previous thoughts of said weather can be found here. But with that being said, I also gave myself a shake, told myself to man up and just get on with it. Plus it would be a good chance to try out my new running jacket on the trek up to meet my team mates, and it’s awesome. No leaks at all!

Half 8 arrived and I left the house to walk up to the sports centre to meet my team mates, and we all travelled through to Stirling together. The plan was to run the race and then a few of us who are doing the Loch Ness Marathon in 2 weeks would run back to Alloa afterwards, but the weather was seriously putting me off this idea. I needed to put in the miles though, so I told my coach not to let me talk myself out of it! By just after 9am we were through in Stirling, sitting in the car and not wanting to venture anywhere away from out warm and dry sanctuary. The race was organised and hosted by Central Athletics and started outside The Peak sports centre, who kindly offered us the use of their facilities, hall to warm up and foyer to stand in until we were called to the start line. The time finally came to ditch our outer layers and dash over from the car to The Peak and wait with the other runners until we were called to the start line. At 10:10am we were ushered across and before I knew it the race had started. I thought I was a lot further forward than I actually was so once over the mat I spent the first half a mile or so dogging and weaving through the crowds, trying not to get in the way of people also doing the same. By this time the wind had really eased off, but the rain was coming down in sheets. The route in on roads the whole way around, apart from a very short section where you have to cross the river on a very narrow bridge. However this is nearly 3 miles into the race so the crowd had thinned out a lot by this point, so it’s never an issue. For the first few miles I chose to stick by another club member and get her to set the pace. I have a habit of going out too hard and too fast and not being able to keep the pace up the entire way around, so I thought if I managed to stick to just under 8 minute miles to begin with I might be able to bring it back in the last mile or so. Well, that plan went out the window!

Mile 1 – 7:50
Mile 2 – 7:19

At this point in the race I compared it to how I felt at this point in my race last year and realised it’s amazing what a year of proper training can do. I was breathing easily, my legs felt great and I was passing a lot of people on the way round. Just before you run across the river there’s a sharp bend in the road and at this point I lost Fiona in the crowds but I managed to spot another lady who I have seen at races before I knew was pretty speedy, so I chose to use her as my new pace maker. Once across the river you meet one of the 2 hills in the race and then its a very flat out and back road through Cambuskenneth, at which point you start to see all the super fast runners already on their way back, when I’m not even in sight of the turn around point!!

Mile 3 – 7:42
Mile 4 – 7:52

I was managing to stay under 8 minute miles, but my legs were now staring to feel it. However, the route out to the turn point and back is on a narrow farm track which gives you a good chance to see what position everyone else is in on the way back, get cheered on, shout on others and push to catch up with the ones you though you might have fallen too far behind. I finally clocked Jemma, having had left my phone in the car this morning before I was able to get in touch with her and noting she wasn’t too far behind me also gave me another mental boost. We were now over half way, my legs were starting to ache more but the race was still on. I looked at my watch and realised I could still gain a pb even if I pulled it back a bit. Come one legs, less than 2 miles to go, we’ve got this!!

Mile 5 – 8:01

Oh no, it’s got an 8 in it.. that’s not what I wanted to see. But wait… I’ve got just over a mile to go and plenty of time to do it in. PB, we’re on!
On the way back into Stirling there is a horrible dip in the road. I can’t even call it a hill, but on a race this flat and fast you really feel it, but I knew I was now on for a good time so with arms and legs doing all they could, I flew up and around it and back towards the finish line with the seconds ticking away on my watch.
4 minutes to gain a pb – it’s on, I’ve got this…
3 minutes to gain a pb – oh crap, it’s further than I thought…
2 minutes to gain a pb – Legs, why won’t you go faster?!? Come on!!

Mile 6 – 8:00

Ahhhh, the finish line was in sight. My team mates and in-laws were shouting me on, I still had something left in the tank and a smile to give coming over the line

0.2 – 1:30

Finish line a few metres away... time to find a smile. Or not...
Finish line a few metres away… time to find a smile. Or not…

38 SECOND PB…. FINALLY!!! And feeling surprisingly awesome! At the finish line I met up with friends and we all celebrated our times and personal bests. It hadn’t been the nicest day for running, but it hadn’t held me back too much. I definitely need to make friends with hills reps again soon and get my strength up to its maximum, but for now I have a new pb which I will bask in the glory of for a while. My next 10k will be when I’m feeling strong and fast and know that I can smash past the 48 minute barrier.

It’s not as impossible as I once thought it was…

Some wet but elated Wee County Harriers. Well done everyone!
Some wet but elated Wee County Harriers. Well done everyone!

I even managed the run back to Alloa after the race. Another 6 miles, all of which were under 9 minutes! Legs are hurting, body is fatigued and ready to switch of, but adrenaline is still in charge of my body for now. And it feels great!

A few months of catching up

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With just over 6 weeks to go until the Loch Ness Marathon I’m at a very crucial stage in my training schedule. And having just returning to it after 3 weeks of jetting setting I will be honest and say it’s well and truly kicking my butt just now.

Our holiday was wonderful. 4 days in LA, 1 in San Diego, 3 in San Francisco, 2 in Yosemite National Park and 5 in Vegas, all of which were jam packed with day trips, trekking, cycling, walking for miles, helicopter trips, boat trips…. (I think we covered nearly every possible mode of transport going in a very short space of time) not a single lie in for the majority of the holiday (until we got to Vegas!) and I even took my running to stuff with big plans to go on an adventure. But with temperatures between 35 and 42°C it just wasn’t possible. It was much cooler in San Francisco, but we didn’t have a spare minute there, so again no running. Here we are, week after getting home I am still shattered and my body clock is all over the place. After not listening to Craig’s advice to stay up and try and get my body clock back to normal, I really suffered from bad jet lag the first few days back home. I tired to catch up on sleep, but I just felt worse for it and long days at work just made me miserable, so I put off my first run until the weekend. And it sucked. I went for a very slow 13 miles, just me and my music and about 5 miles in I should have turned back. Everything was hurting, especially my shoulders, my stomach wasn’t feeling great and every step just felt like such an effort. The weeks before I went away I was happily knocking out 40-50 mile weeks with no pains or headaches after training and I haven’t felt as sore as I did so soon after a run since I started running. I know I’ve only got myself to blame and I’ll probably get told off a few more times in the next few weeks, but I really am hoping it’s just a blip.

However, the pressure is on for Loch Ness. I am really excited about this event as so many people I know in many different circles are doing it and my wonderful husband Craig has kindly agreed to drive Jemma and I up and back. The only thing I am not looking forward to is returning to work on the Monday after. That might be a somewhat painful experience! I feel I have made leaps and bounds in my training since I joined the Harriers and my weekend runs continue to increase in distance without me evening noticing. What a difference having someone to push you along when you feel yourself flagging a bit makes – especially on the hills, no matter how small a gradient! Quite a few people from my club are also doing Loch Ness and like myself will be using it not only as a race, but as a warm up for Glen Ogle. Oh yeah, did I mention I have entered an Ultra? Yep, I’m totally daft….
Many people may think I’m insane entering my first ultra so soon, but the way I look at it is, how will I ever know if I don’t try? Yes I’ll probably wonder what the hell I am doing and why I’m doing it when I’m not even a third into the race and right now with the way I’m feeling post holiday I’m even wondering if I’m going to be alright in my marathon. I’m hoping it’s just my conscience talking because I’ve had a few bad runs recently and my confidence has dropped a bit. Give me a few weeks and hopefully I’ll be back on top of everything and running will be my best friend again.
I’ll ket you know how my next few training sessions go…

Some holiday and early July pics.

My amazing birthday cake and family party early in July.
My amazing birthday cake and family party early in July.
Finally got to catch up with my brothers after many months.
Finally got to catch up with my brothers after many months.
Skye also appreciated my birthday cake
Skye also appreciated my birthday cake
Hanging with the stars in LA
Hanging with the stars in LA
Helicopter trip into the Grand Canyon. One of the most amazing experiences ever.
Helicopter trip into the Grand Canyon. One of the most amazing experiences ever.
Following another helicopter back at sunset.
Following another helicopter back at sunset.
Cycling in San Fran!
Cycling in San Fran!
Trekking up to the top of Vernal Falls in Yosemite
Trekking up to the top of Vernal Falls in Yosemite
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park
One of Craig's amazing photos in Yosemite
One of Craig’s amazing photos in Yosemite
Another of Craig's amazing photos.
Another of Craig’s amazing photos.

Bike, bike, bike…

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What a stunning weekend that was. And the best thing about it? I got to see lots of it without being cooped up inside a building that has no windows, like I was on all the previous glorious days we have had so far this year. Even if there has only been 2 or 3 of them…

On Saturday I attempted to give my legs a good stretch out after completing a pretty hard weights set on Friday. Even a week later my legs are still squeaking a bit from the run last weekend (probably because I haven’t given them half a chance to recover!). I think Thursdays club run in the sun sucked my final ounce of weekly energy out of me, so Friday and Saturdays attempts at exercise were somewhat feeble (to say the least!), yet somehow still really enjoyable! The niggles will come and go – if it didn’t hurt a little, I’m either not pushing myself hard enough or I’m doing something wrong. No pain, no gain…. or so they say!

Running aside, my other passion is my bike. I will have months where I forget I’ve even got one, but when I remember I always wonder how I’ve managed to hide it away in the cupboard under the stairs for so long! I LOVE my bike. I did a bit of research and got myself a specialized hardrock sports disc for my 26th birthday – and was promptly told not to use it until after my wedding which was a mere 14 days away! So I didn’t, and then after the wedding there was no getting me off the thing for a few months until the weather turned and so did the trails – into mud baths! So then away went the bike and there it stayed for quite some time. Bad Iona!

Ahhh, my favourite toy!
Ahhh, my favourite toy!

Just this weekend my bike has had its first trail run in quite some time and what a day it was. Devilla Forest is absolutely beautiful and just 7 miles from my doorstep. It’s made up of a network of trails and paths that snake around a vast area of woodland and hidden deep in amongst it there are standing stone circles, lochs and lots and lots of wildlife (including red squirrels, which are a rare sight around these parts!). And on a day like Sunday, I couldn’t get enough of it and ended up banking 23 miles in the gorgeous sunshine, grinning as I made my way around the trails, over tree roots, through muddy bogs and rocky surfaces….my idea of an awesome afternoon!

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However, my dilemma is that I’d love a road bike as well (more for fitness than fun), but I just don’t know where I’d put it. We don’t have a garage or a shed and my bike and Craig’s guitar amp already take up most of the downstairs space we have. Plus they are expensive. I don’t see the point in something I couldn’t work hard on, and the prices of the bikes I have looked at already made my eyes water a little. I know there are good, cheap bikes out there but I wouldn’t have a clue where to start looking! The other reason I’d love a road bike is that I have toyed with the idea of trying a triathlon. I didn’t think I’d ever have the guts, but now that my 3 main sports are running, swimming and cycling it seems like the next obvious step! But if I did buy another bike, would it just go into the cupboard like my mountain bike? Should I sell my mountain bike if I’d get more use out of a road bike? Do I really need either now I’ve rediscovered my love for running??!

Silly question. Of course I do!

So, answers on a postcard (or just in the comments box below I guess!), one bike, 2 bikes, no bikes?

Any help would be greatly appreciated! 🙂