Manchester Marathon Half & Half Relay

My mate Sheila ran her first half marathon at the Great North Run last year and was keen to do another. In my year of non-marathon running we spotted that the Manchester Marathon allowed teams of two (or four) to run the marathon as a relay. We thought this would be just the ticket for us both, and so signed up and booked an amazing brunch as our post-run reward. Priorities set.

Waiting for someone to run a half marathon before you can start your leg is a strange experience. I woke up at the normal time for a race feeling the usual excitement and nerves, but didn't know what to do with myself. I felt like I was missing something, worried I would miss Sheila - what if she did run it in 20 mins and I wasn't there?! I felt like all the fun was happening without me. I did what any normal runner would do; paced the house, went to the loo about 20 times just in case, then arrived way too early.

MCR Marathon Relay changeover

At the halfway mark the route had a small section cordoned off for the relay teams. You needed to wait here, spot your partner then run over the halfway timing mats together - ending their run and starting yours. This was all told to us on the day by volunteers and not before hand which would have been helpful. I would say the communication and info about the relay teams before the race could have been much better. But hey ho! 

The atmosphere here at the halfway mark was brilliant. A great band kept everyone entertained and it was fun cheering on all the marathon runners knowing you were soon going to be a part of it. 
After spotting and chatting to Jayne from the brilliant Veggie Runners, I spotted Sheila coming down the hill. She did AMAZINGLY and we were full of excitement as we ran down the chute together, gabbling and holding hands all the way over the mats. And then I was off. 

Running like a lunatic
(photo thanks to Chris March on route)

The 30 minute later start for the relay teams meant that I started my run with people who were on for about a 5 hour 30 marathon finish. I felt a bit like an impostor picking all these full marathon runners off with my fresh legs and towards the end of the run at miles 22 -24 it was difficult to keep my speed up amid walkers who were having a tough time. But I soon caught up with the 4.5 hour marathoners and the crowd on course was amazing. It was a good route with a mix of countryside in parts and little villages as well as the huge support heading back in to Old Trafford and the finish. I was spotted and cheered on by a few of the harriers which was a huge boost, along with some blogger friends which was a lovely and unexpected surprise. Jamie was waiting for me at about mile 25 so after a quick kiss I dug deep and kept up the pace to mile 26, turned the corner into the final funnel, cheered on by Sheila and Steve in the final stretch and thankfully over the finish line. 

Team mates extraordinaire 

After achieving my new PB in Wilmslow a few weeks ago, I was happy to not try and beat my time and really wanted to just do a good run and enjoy it. And I did. There is a lot to be said for running in your adopted town - it's so much fun. Great atmosphere, great support and so lovely to see so many people on the route. And running with your mate as part of a team is just brilliant. We were so happy and chuffed afterwards and so proud of each other. We are already plotting our team for next year.

13.1 miles each followed by 4 plates of brunch plus one amazing medal. This is my favourite running maths. 

Manchester Marathon Relay Medal

Marathon Motivation

...Or 'Where's my mojo gone?'

After running both London and Berlin Marathons last year, I'm no stranger to losing my running mojo. That feeling of being on a constant merry go round of running, working, sleeping, running, running, running; endlessly getting up at what feels like the middle of the night or running at lunch in a bid to get your god damn run in; and the boredom of plodding out alone, on the same old tired routes and wondering where the hell you can run to to get those 18, 19, 20 milers in. We've all been there. 

With the London Marathon in 8 weeks, spring time marathon training is firmly under way and your big day is almost here. But with the normal loss of motivation littering my twitter feed, I thought I would share some tactics I found useful in getting myself out of my running slump and getting excited about running again.

1. New kit, new kit, NEW KIT
It's no secret that I love new kit. Whenever I'm training and start to feel the lack of motivation creeping up on me I visit the Nike, Adidas, or Sweaty Betty website - let's be honest, usually all three - and get spending. There is nothing better to make me look forward to a run than new snazzy kit to try out. So I suggest you head on over to your preferred running brand's website and get purchasing. 
Those new snazzy tights you've been eyeing up? Get them! 
The swanky new jacket you don't need but really want because it's pretty? Get it! 
Hell even a pair of new running socks have been known to get me giddy about a run the following day. And don't worry about the expense, you totally deserve it after all your hard work and seeing as your life is now just constant running, think of all the money you're saving by having next to no social life.

2) Read read read
You may feel like the last thing you want to do is immerse yourself even further in the world of running right now, but do. Become a running geek and throw yourself at it's mercy. Books or articles which share other's inspirational running stories can be so helpful and give you a huge boost to get  back out there and remember why you're running in the first place. 
My favourites are Chrissie Wellington's 'A Life Without Limits' and Alexandra Heminsley's 'Running Like a Girl' which are both inspirational and funny. Hemmo's section on looking good while you're getting your race on is brilliant - hello race day nails! 

If books aren't your thing try out some podcasts. I love Marathon Talk, which again is hilarious and informative and really lets you get your running geek on.

Reading, or listening, to these make me realise I'm not the only one doing all this training malarkey and stoke the fire in me to find my missing enthusiasm.

3) Run with People
I cannot stress this enough, running with others is WAY more fun that running on your own. For starters, I find a good old chat while running makes the miles fall away and you will also discover new routes to run. Making a running date also makes you more accountable to get your run in and if you're strapped for time do what I do and coerce your fellow workers into a lunch run. For free running you can't beat parkrun, which is easy to incorporate into your long runs at the weekend, giving them a bit more of an interest; or join your nearest Sweatshop Running Club. 
If you live in Manchester check out this Time Out guide to free running groups.

4) Reward yourself
Get yourself a massage; treat yourself to a pedicure to help those tired manky feet (boys, I'm looking at you too); go out for a swanky dinner and spend a night not thinking about running; buy yourself that new top; go for a walk; visit a mate you've not seen in a while; basically do whatever the hell you like to do when you're not running. Go and do it, and don't think about your training. A little time off really helps, as does eating cake I find. 

5) Release the pressure
Now this one is way easier said than done, but trying to let go of the pressure you put yourself under while training, really really helps. I'm not saying don't aim for those amazing goals, or stop trying all together, no way! I find that sometimes thinking 'what is the worst that will happen if I don't achieve this and what will be the repercussions' can help and make me focus on the amazing thing that you are doing. Remember, you are training for AN ACTUAL REAL LIFE MARATHON. Don't forget how amazing this is, and in turn how amazing you are for actually doing it.

Hopefully these things will help you find your missing mojo. If you've got any other tactics, share them in the comments below!