tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69261351655727981712024-03-12T16:16:57.332-07:00Journey to the finish line Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696546170536568010noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926135165572798171.post-81642317569944388172013-05-09T19:00:00.000-07:002013-05-09T19:00:00.504-07:00Kit review mark 2Ok so the last bits of kit I used for the race. I will try not to go on too much in this post :)<br />
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<strong><u>Race Pac</u></strong></div>
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My main piece of kit was my inov-8 race PAC 22 litre. This along with the bottle and holder and mesh pouch for attaching to the front strap was kindly donated to me by the wonderful people at inov-8. I usually use a much smaller backpack but obviously for this race that wouldn't cut the mustard. <br />
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This is the bag in all its glory. I was worried when it arrived that it would be too big but soon realised it was the perfect size to fit in everything I needed (I will add to this post the kit list I made for me and Sarah on my pretty excel spreadsheet). <br />
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The bag had a big inside pouch and several other pockets for storing things in including a hidden inside pocket under the lid of the bag which is where I stored my passport and valuables during the race. There was another pouch on the top of the bag which was great for things you needed easy access to but didn't want every 5 minutes such as tissues and little sun lotion sachets and rock tape. On the waist straps there was a pouch which I used for putting in my snacks and lip balm and pain killers. There were two diagonal pockets on the sides of the bag which could be used for putting the water bottles in but I chose to have one bottle attached to the front of the bag and my Nathan bladder fitted nicely inside the bag where there is a section for the bladder to fit in. <br />
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The pack was easily adjustable even when running and with the use of some extra Velcro straps the poles attached safely to the back. <br />
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The only thing I would suggest is that if the water bottle bouncing will annoy you it is worth adding a few extra strips of Velcro to the bottle holder just to secure it a little more. I did this before I left and the holder stayed in place perfectly. I also chose to switch to the raidlight bottle with the longer straw as this meant I didn't have to take the bottle out when I wanted to drink (this later proved to be an excellent idea) <br />
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I would highly recommend this PAC for the longer races where you need to be carrying a lot of kit. I have just bought the smaller 10 litre one and will be using this for my shorter races. <br />
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<strong><u>Sunglasses</u></strong></div>
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I took BLOC sunglasses with me - stupidly I forgot to take the coloured lenses but I survived just fine with the clear ones as they still had UV protection. Sarah also wore a pair of BLOC sunglasses (she remembered the lenses for hers :) ) </div>
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These were so comfortable I actually forgot I was wearing them after a while and will for sure come with me on my future runs and next year to the OFR. </div>
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<strong><u>Gaiters</u></strong></div>
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The Gaiters I used were by Raidlight and were stuck on with velcro. If there is one thing I would 100 % recommend it is to get the velcro sewn on to the shoe. I used some very strong glue and in the heat this just started coming away from my trainer - I still maaged to keep most of the sand out but by the end of the race there wasn't a whole lot of velcro still stuck to the trainer as I kept taking them on and off to re tape my feet. </div>
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You will also notice that on the front of the gaiters, due to the amount of rocky sections in the run they did get worn slightly but not to an amount I would be concerned about and I would be perfectly happy to use these again next year. </div>
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<strong><u>Trainers</u></strong></div>
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I took my trusty brooks road trainers with me. As the terrain was so varied I didn't see the point in changing over to a trail shoe and to be honest I think having the extra support from the trainer was beneficial. </div>
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One thing that was noted however was that the people who wore Hokas had the best feet at the end of the race so perhaps something to consider if you are looking at this race for this year or next. </div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">you can sponsor Sarah and I at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Oceanfloor
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696546170536568010noreply@blogger.com0Hitchin Hitchin51.95512 -0.263978tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926135165572798171.post-33092763274929617212013-03-17T11:31:00.000-07:002013-03-17T11:31:51.081-07:00Kit review Part 1<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
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Ok so here goes my first kit review. I have decided to split the kit reviews up so I can give a better focus to each item. Hopefully this will provide a good insight in to exactly what I used and what I would change for next year. </div>
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My first review will be on the clothing I wore for the run. </div>
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Those of you who have been following my blog or my facebook will know that Striders Edge very kindly sponsored me my clothing for the run and I can safely say that this is a brand I shall use time and time again. I did take a few other items with me which I will go in to further down this post. </div>
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So what did I take with me to the desert </div>
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I started the run in the kit above. My shorts were by Nike as Striders edge didn't sell shorts when I left for the desert. I chose these shorts as they were fairly breathable and I run in them all the time so I know they are comfortable. I don't really get along with the tighter running shorts and didn't want to risk it so I decided to stick these. I actually wore these for the entirety of the run, just putting my long bottoms on over the top rather than worrying about changing them all the time - thanks Mimi for this tip - although it did give an incredible VPL it was much easier. </div>
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My Calf guards are by skins - these are one thing that I hadn't actually used before so I broke my own rule with these and to be honest I have no idea if they helped or not. I took them off after the 2nd day I think it was (it all blurs) but they were very comfortable and didn't cause me any irritation at all which is always a plus point and if you usually wear calf guards then I don't think you would have any issues with these. </div>
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My top is by Striders edge and is the <a href="http://www.stridersedge.com/engineered-c-map-lite-t-sunny-lime/" target="_blank">engineered climate map Lite T in sunny lime</a> this was perfect for the temperatures in the desert. I didn't feel uncomfortable and it didn't get sticky at any point. It also helps that it is antibacterial which stops you from smelling like you have just run for hours in the heat (unfortunately it doesn't work miracles and stop you from looking like you have). This is one of my favourite T's from Striders Edge and I am hoping that they still have some on sale when I get paid :) </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N5J2FweZH7I/UTUfyoNTG3I/AAAAAAAACNQ/L5rbrf2QbqU/s1600/SE0010_black.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" jsa="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N5J2FweZH7I/UTUfyoNTG3I/AAAAAAAACNQ/L5rbrf2QbqU/s320/SE0010_black.jpg" width="125" /></a>For the night time section I carried these <a href="http://www.stridersedge.com/peak-elements-tight/" target="_blank">Peak elements tights</a> in my backpack. We did have the option of leaving our cold weather kit in a well placed drop bag - the only issue being that I had no idea how long each section would take me so by leaving my cold weather gear in a drop bag I left myself open to being out in the cold in my shorts and T-Shirt and I really didn't fancy that. These tights are slightly heavier than my other running bottoms but they were well worth the extra weight for the warmth they provided and the comfort. Again these are the only longer bottoms I took for the race and they were perfect.These are also antibacterial and are wind resistant which in the evenings was actually a bonus (not something I had expected to worry about in the desert).I didn't get any irritation at all from the bottoms and even after not being washed and worn every evening they still didn't smell and kept their shape perfectly. I didn't use the pockets on these for the run as I had plenty of pockets on my backpack but have used them when running in the colder weather in the UK and can vouch for them when they say they are designed to reduce whatever you stow digging into your body - they really do and look good to boot :) </div>
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<strong><u><span style="font-size: large;">Layers, Layers and more layers</span></u></strong> </div>
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I took the above layers from Striders edge interspersed with a top from Nike and one from Skins just to make sure I had some different options when I was out there as I wasn't sure how cold the evenings would be. </div>
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I am so pleased I did take all of the above tops as it did get very cold at night (the race organisers have altered the date of the race now to October with one of the reasons being it shouldn't be as cold at night in October)</div>
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Obviously what you need in cold weather is down to a persons individual preferences - I know that I get very cold very quickly so it was important for me to have lots of layers and to be able to keep warm because once you get too cold there is no getting warm again. </div>
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I chose to leave these tops in different drop bags rather than carry them with me (I carried my jacket instead which I will go on to in a moment) but was very pleased when I got to the checkpoints with these in, especially checkpoint 9 as it was very cold on the last night and for some reason I just couldn't get warm so I actually ended up wearing about 4 layers including 2 of the tops above my jacket and a t shirt. </div>
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The tops were comfortable, very soft (brushed on the inside for comfort) and breathable and again antibacterial. They all had the thumb through sports cuff which helped keeping my hands warm and they were all wind resistant as well. You can't really go wrong with these (unless you are a man in which case perhaps not the best option :) )</div>
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My Jacket was the <a href="http://www.stridersedge.com/stride-lite-run-jacket-black/" target="_blank">Stride-lite run Jacket</a> (again from Striders edge) I bought this in advance of the race and have been using it all through the winter. It has the trademark thumb through cuffs and although not fully waterproof it is shower proof so as long as you aren't going out in torrential rain you are fine. The jacket is very light so I carried it with me for the whole race and it was perfect to just put on whenever I felt a little cold. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With my Stride-Lite Jacket on at the finish of the race <br />
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<strong><u>Socks</u></strong></div>
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Myself and Sarah were very lucky to have the support of <a href="http://www.feeturesbrand.com/" target="_blank">Feetures Socks</a> they are an American company who have the most comfortable running socks. I used the ones below for the whole race - I did take some of their other ones but by the time I got halfway through the race my feet had swollen too much to be able to get them on. These ones were brilliant and very comfortable. Unfortunately they didn't prevent me from getting blisters but then again I don't think that anything would have prevented any of us from getting blisters over this distance. I shall continue to use this brand of sock from now on for all of my running and for the gym as well. </div>
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<span style="color: #7e7e7e; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">These are made from Marino+ a blend of Rayon from Bamboo and Marino wool. I chose these ones as they are the quarter length so they stop just above the ankle (I thought this would be good to prevent sand getting in). </span></div>
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<strong><u>Buffs</u></strong></div>
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Never underestimate the importance or versatility of a buff. I took 6 buffs with me - yes 6 - I had my Thermal one for the night time sections which proved to be one of the best things I took. And my other buffs were used as Headbands and for protection in the sand storms. </div>
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I actually saved Tom by very kindly giving him one of my buffs when he lost his in the checkpoint when we were held because of the sandstorm (I am not sure I will ever get this back) see people may have laughed at the amount of stuff we had for checkpoints but it did come in useful :) </div>
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I don't know what I did before I found out about these wonderful items now. </div>
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I didn't only have the standard buffs though - we were very kindly sent a Buff desert hat as well which had the neck protection. These were brilliant - light weight and easy to pack away as they rolled up - we also found that as they were quite thin, when it was hot pouring water over them made them an excellent cooling aid. </div>
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I will do a separate review later for my other kit including my gaiters, trainers, backpack, and glasses :) </div>
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Also as an update since the run I have been struggling with an injury on my hip (if you notice in the picture of me at the finish above I am holding my hip and leaning slightly) it is preventing me from running any great distance at the moment which is more than slightly irritating but not to say I am not doing anything - Insanity - Swimming - Gym - DONE </div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">you can sponsor Sarah and I at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Oceanfloor
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696546170536568010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926135165572798171.post-85469932047647898712013-03-01T10:15:00.001-08:002013-03-01T10:18:07.536-08:00Part 4- CP4 to the finish line <div style="text-align: center;">
We were soon set and ready to go, clothes changed muscles massaged and feet taped. Off we went to check point 4 on what was to be the hottest day of the race ................. </div>
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To be continued </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We left fairly early - I think around 10am but this day was one of the hottest we had with temperatures reaching 38 degrees. I had originally thought that the higher temperatures were going to cause me big problems but I was pleasantly surprised that I seemed to be coping with it quite well. There wasn’t any shade at all on this section of the course so we decided to just try and run as much of it as we could and take fewer walking breaks to make sure we got to the next checkpoint before we either ran out of water or burnt. As we neared the end of this section we became increasingly concerned because we couldn’t see any checkpoint even though it was mean to be directly in front of us, with less than 1k to go we still couldn’t see it and began to panic but thankfully a few hundred meters later it appeared and peace and happiness was restored </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> in the checkpoint we found Matt and Jamie, they had also been struggling with the heat and It was at this checkpoint that Matt decided it was time to stop and he pulled out of the race. We were gutted to see him go but wished him well and he very kindly offered the use of his drop bags at the next checkpoints should we need anything which was simply Marvelous </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> We rested a little here and had something to eat and another goodness shake. Jamie set off about 30 minutes before us on a mission to get another 30 miles done before the morning. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once we had sorted our feet and put our tights and base layers on we too headed off in search of checkpoint 5. We started this section full of enthusiasm but were soon struggling – mainly with tiredness as we had only had a short 50 minute sleep, but also because with it being dark we only had a small area we could focus on and as this section was mainly sand it was very difficult. We kept going in to trance like states but we managed to keep going right up until about 5k from the next checkpoint before collapsing on the sand and deciding that enough was enough we were going to get in to our sleeping bags and have 30 minutes shut eye before continuing. Looking back now 5k seems so little but at the time there was nothing on this earth that would have made me go any further until I had rested (unless of course they had told me that there was a cream egg or some other such exciting object waiting for me at the checkpoint).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> The catnap seemed to do the trick and we headed off again on a mission to get to <strong>CP5</strong>. On arrival we were very surprised to see Bryan, Tom and Tony still there and that Jamie was not – he had apparently come in full of beans and decided to head off to the next checkpoint before stopping. </span></div>
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<v:shape alt="427206_10200763676597159_323031785_n.jpg" id="Picture_x0020_6" o:spid="_x0000_s1026" style="height: 346.5pt; margin-left: -43.5pt; margin-top: -48pt; mso-position-horizontal-relative: margin; mso-position-horizontal: absolute; mso-position-vertical-relative: margin; mso-position-vertical: absolute; mso-wrap-distance-bottom: 0; mso-wrap-distance-left: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-right: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-top: 0; mso-wrap-style: square; position: absolute; visibility: visible; width: 267.75pt; z-index: 1;" type="#_x0000_t75"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><v:imagedata o:title="427206_10200763676597159_323031785_n" src="file:///C:\Users\amgoodwi\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.jpg"></v:imagedata><w:wrap anchorx="margin" anchory="margin" type="square"></w:wrap></span></v:shape><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Will and Phillippa woke up (they had been sleeping outside) and came in to the tent to check we were ok and tape feet etc which was wonderful and I can’t thank them enough for this as I was really struggling with my hip at this point so a massage was a welcome relief. We chatted to the guys briefly before trying to get a bit of sleep – the plan was 2 hours and then go before it started to get hot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tom, Tony and Bryan left about an hour and a half before we did but not before Tom tucked me and Sarah in using the blanket he had been sleeping in as he thought we looked cold - bless :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I awoke to the alarm I am not ashamed to admit I had a few tears mainly due to exhaustion but also due to the challenge we still had to face. I was however placated by the fact that the next section was the dunes and the part I was most looking forward to. We headed off and much to our amusement were greeted by some pictures Tom and Bryan had drawn in the sand for us (I really wish I had taken pictures). The dunes were as good as I had expected them to be – pretty painful on the feet as there was a lot of climbing sideways and running full throttle down the other side but such a laugh. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A dune - the actual dunes section was far dunier but I like this picture :) </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>CP6</strong> was at an oasis which was beautiful to see but not so nice to stay at because of the amount of flies. We didn’t spend very long here before moving on – deciding that we would have a little rest later.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> This was one of my worst sections of the course. I was both physically and mentally drained we had done 90 miles already and bearing in mind my longest run before this race had only been 47 miles I was well out of my comfort zone. I don’t think it helped that this section of the course was also one of the most barren and you could see for miles where you had to get to. We soldiered on though taking a few rest breaks here and there until eventually the sand storm hit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> It was getting dark at this point and we stopped to change in to something warmer and made sure we had our buffs pulled down to our glasses and another pulled up over our mouths to keep out as much sand as possible (if we are honest it was more so that we had an excuse to look like ninjas). The sand of course still managed to get in and when we got to about 1k from the checkpoint I had lost all vision in my right eye as the sand had covered my contact lenses. On arrival we were again surprised to see not only Tom, Bryan and Tony there but also Jamie. Because of the sand storm the race had been put on hold as it was deemed to dangerous to continue and Jamie had also managed to injure his calf muscle which was a really concern. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The sand storm although we wouldn't admit it at the time was a blessing in disguise as it meant we could all take some much needed rest which I doubt we would have done had it not been forced upon us. As there were so many of us at the checkpoint and we were all due to stay the night we had to begin the task of moving everything around so we could all fit in. Jamie was already asleep and completley out of it by this point so we just dragged him sleeping mat and all in to his new spot - he doesn't even remember us doing this. After we had stopped Bryan snoring we all had a restful few hours kip ready to get going again in the morning. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The following morning we were allowed to leave at about 5am but because I am rubbish at getting myself together in the morning Sarah and I didn’t leave until 6am meaning the boys had a head start (read this as the only reason they beat us)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> I have to admit though seeing them at the last few checkpoints had really increased my enthusiasm and we set off in good spirits. The sandstorm was still going strong but not as bad as the previous night. We pushed through this longer 30k stage and on to CP8 where we saw a figure running towards us in Orange – at the time it made perfect sense to me that this would be Keith because he had an orange jumper on when we first met him at the hotel so of course he would be the only person to be wearing orange (no idea why I thought that) it turns out it was actually Tom running towards us which I found amusing because surely he should be resting but none the less I was very pleased to see him– When Tom reached us he explained that the race had again been put on hold because the sand storm had gotten worse further down the course and as two runners had gotten lost during the night they didn’t want to risk letting any of us go (the sand interrupts the GPS signals so it would have been hard for us to keep on course and with the sand blowing they wouldn’t have been able to track us)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As you can see we were all in good spirits at this point – I think seeing everyone made it better as we were able to recount our own adventures but at the same time we were all itching to get moving again as we knew we that we only had about a Marathon or just over left to go. We all spent our time doing different thinks – checking kit/taping feet/eating food/sunbathing……. No that was just Tom he decided to sunbathe and also wash his hair – in a completely straight way of course. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">At about 17:00 we were given the all clear and headed off for the final few stages of the race. It gets dark about 18:30 at this time of year in Egypt so we knew we would run the final section at night which was a shame as we had been hoping (before the sand storm) to complete this section by 7pm and thus only run the final part in the dark.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The lads soon stormed ahead and we lost sight of them but that was probably a good thing because we were following waypoints where as they were doing CP – CP so we would have gotten ourselves confused anyway. The sunset was incredible and is something I will never forget – I had to take a moment to pinch myself and prove I was actually there. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The next few checkpoints were passed through in a bit of a daze, we rested at each one – I was completely exhausted at this point but I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I would finish the race and that alone was enough to make me keep going – or as Sarah would say – put my big girl pants on and get on with it.</span></div>
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<v:shape alt="534926_10151423443078252_1404564457_n.jpg" id="Picture_x0020_10" o:spid="_x0000_s1026" style="height: 285pt; margin-left: -42.75pt; margin-top: -64.5pt; mso-position-horizontal-relative: margin; mso-position-horizontal: absolute; mso-position-vertical-relative: margin; mso-position-vertical: absolute; mso-wrap-distance-bottom: 0; mso-wrap-distance-left: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-right: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-top: 0; mso-wrap-style: square; position: absolute; visibility: visible; width: 379.5pt; z-index: 1;" type="#_x0000_t75"><v:imagedata o:title="534926_10151423443078252_1404564457_n" src="file:///C:\Users\amgoodwi\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.jpg"></v:imagedata><w:wrap anchorx="margin" anchory="margin" type="square"></w:wrap></v:shape><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On the last checkpoint before the finish we had a little visitor to the tent in the form of one of the desert foxes – it kept coming in, pinching the eggs from the tray at the entrance and then running off again. Such a lovely thing to see and it really lifted my spirits. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We ran the final section as the sun started to rise and were once again astounded by the incredible scenery around us it truly has to be seen to be believed. We were soon able to see the campsite ahead but it didn’t seem to be getting any closer. We kept going until we finally saw people moving around and it finally began to hit us that we were about to finish the Ocean Floor 160 mile race – my emotions completely over took me and I cried my way over the finish line. The sheer euphoria at crossing that line is one that I will never forget and seeing all of my new found friends there to greet us was just the icing on the cake. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finish of our 160 mile run </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">That evening the Egyptian team put on a show for us and there was lots of singing and dancing (not by me as I couldn’t walk at this point due to the swelling in my feet) we also had the awards ceremony which was wonderful and really made everyone feel special no matter how long it had taken or if they hadn’t completed the race for whatever reason no one was left out. </span></div>
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I would like to take this opportunity to say a MASSIVE thank you to Keith and his team - There couldn't have been a better team of people. No task was too much and no arrival time to the CP was too late or too early. You were truly wonderful and we look forward to seeing you in October 2014 for our second running of the race (although anyone interested in running it can actually go and do it this October - I just cant fit it in this year) </div>
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I have made some life long friends on this race and can honestly say it has been a life changing experience in more ways than one ....<br />
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A massive thank you to Sarah Gardenr Hall for running with me - I have made a true best friend in her and she now know everything there is to know about me which I am not sure if it is a good thing or not :) </div>
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I will be posting some kit reviews soon and will add a few more photos and if I can figure out how some videos as well :) thankyou for taking the time to read my long drawn out version of events. </div>
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Oh and before I forget - we didn't just run on sand these are some of the surfaces we ran on </div>
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Ocean floor race 1 - toenails -4</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">you can sponsor Sarah and I at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Oceanfloor
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696546170536568010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926135165572798171.post-1516501323974253872013-02-25T09:25:00.000-08:002013-02-25T09:26:59.186-08:00Start - CP3 - and more pictures :)<div style="text-align: center;">
....... approx 1 hour and an impromptu side of the road toilet stop later we pulled up at what was to be the start of the Ocean Floor race 2013. </div>
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There was a lot of checking of Garmins, making sure everyones was pointing the same way (incidentally some weren't so it was a good job this was checked) and time for a few photos before Keith pulled us all in to a huddle and wished us all luck on what was sure to be an incredible adventure - not only for us but also for the support crew - for whom it would also be the first time helping out on a race like this. </div>
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And that was it - we were off.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the start line </td></tr>
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It felt very odd to finally have started running this race - one which myself and Sarah and all the others had been planning for for so long and we were finally on our way. I watched as many of the other runners raced off ahead - it was very hard to stick to the plan and stay at a steady pace but we did and fell in to step with Matt and Jamie whom we would spend the entire first leg with. <br />
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We had decided to go way point to way point not only to make sure we didn't get lost but to help us break down the race in to smaller sections. We knew from the start that this race wasn't going to be finished only because of how much training we had done, it was going to get to a point where we would have to run with our minds and our hearts and somehow doing it this way we figured we could trick our brains in to thinking we had less to do than we actually did and therefore make it easier. <br />
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We spent much of this section running along getting to know each other, chatting about races we had run, what training we had put in, where we worked etc etc. We took loads of pictures and found some particularly lovely mounds that looked like nipples :) <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, Sarah and Jamie pointing out the nipple </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beginning of the race </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">doing our Jazz hands </td></tr>
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Any thoughts of it being slightly cold (as it had been raining the days before) had been completely wiped from our mind. It wasn't un bearable as it had been on a training run in Dubai recently but it was certainly warm enough to notice it. </div>
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We safely navigated our way to check point one without too much fuss. On arrival I was feeling a bit sick - I think this was a mix of the heat, carrying the backpack (I had only run with it twice in training so would suggest anyone else doing this race in October does alot more training with their backpack with it's full weight before going out) and just generally getting used to it all. </div>
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I saw a little concern on the faces of the support crew at this point - they were obviously worried because we were only 15 miles in and I was already struggling but I wasn't going to let myself worry. </div>
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I sat down and had my Chocolate for Goodness Shake (my favourite flavour) and ate a but of pasta which was cooked for us by the Egyptian guys manning the tents. </div>
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As we knew it was going to start getting colder soon we chose to put on our longer bottoms at this point rather than having to stop and do it in the dark, and we also put on one of our base layers (when I say we - I mean me as Sarah had forgotten to put her bottoms in her back pack more about this later). </div>
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Once we were all ready we set off again. after a little discussion Sarah and I decided to let Jamie and Matt go on as I was still struggling with feeling a little queasy and didn't want to push myself so early on and regret it later. This was quite a big decision however as anyone who knows me or has read my blog before knows that I hate the dark with a passion and the night time sections were the ones I was most worried about. </div>
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We managed to keep the guys in site for quite a while but just as it started to get dark we lost site of them. We hadn't seen them for about 20 - 30 minutes when all of a sudden in the distance we saw two lights bouncing around in the distance. We were quite a way off but by this point I was really beginning to panic at being out in the middle of the desert, just the two of us and no one to turn to for help should we need it. My mind was beginning to imagine all sorts of horrible things happening and I wanted nothing more than to catch the guys up ahead. So of course in our completely rational decision making we decided it would be an excellent idea to run as fast as we could until we caught the guys up. I was running at the sort of pace I would for a 10k event whilst carrying a very heavy backpack, trying not to fall over the rocks and ignoring the voice in the back of my head that told me that I was being absolutely ridiculous. </div>
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We were getting closer and we figured the guys had spotted us but they kept running and I swear they were getting faster - little sods - eventually we caught them and I was so pleased I forgot that I needed to breathe. </div>
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It was only about 10k to the next checkpoint (2) and we kept pace with the guys for this section. when we got to about 3k away from the checkpoint we saw a group of runners coming back towards us - it was Tom, Bryan, Tony and I believe George was also with them at this point. It was great to see them and hear that there was some nice food at the next checkpoint :) after a quick hug and a few wishes of good luck we carried on and the boys made their way on to check point 3. </div>
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At the checkpoint we sat down and had some food, another Goodness shake and some pepsi and a coffee. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In checkpoint 2 with one of our Egyptian helpers </td></tr>
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At this checkpoint Sarah and I decided to have a little sleep and wait until the moon came out in the hope that there would be a little extra light and that would help me with my fear of the dark. We let the guys at the tent know and they sprung in to action to erect a tent for us and got out some sleeping mats and bags for us. This was excellent as it meant we didn't have to worry about sorting ours. We actually only slept for 50 minutes but did spend a deal longer at the checkpoint when we add in all of the time spent checking our feet, eating, drinking and getting our bits from the drop bags ready for the next section (this is something I would perhaps look at revising next year).<br />
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We awoke to the sound of Dhiaa arriving at the camp with the news that Kennwynne would be arriving at the checkpoint soon - so we got out of the tent and got ready so we could see her before we left. <br />
After some well wishes to Kennwyne we set off again in to the night. Strangely this time I felt a lot calmer, I am not sure if it is because I had settled in to the fact that if I was to complete the race I would have to bite the bullet and go out in the dark or if it was because we were going out in to the dark when it was already dark as opposed to it slowly getting darker as we were going along. Either way I felt better and we proceeded to run walk the next section at a steady pace and feeling very comfortable. <br />
Whilst running along we noticed some trees that looked a little like bonsai trees. We decided that we wanted to try and get a picture of these so we focused our hope headtorches on to one of the trees and turned the flash off on the camera (AKA Iphone) and this was the resulting image - one we were very pleased with :) <br />
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This section was probably one of our better ones, running through the sunrise was truly incredible and something I am so happy to have witnessed, it was truly magnificent and I felt so lucky to be there in that moment even if it did mean I had to face my fears. We arrived at checkpoint 3 in the early hours of the morning and were greeted by the site of Jamie and Matt who had stopped here to have a sleep and were just about to head off towards checkpoint 4. </div>
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The boys set off and myself and Sarah went in to the checkpoint had our shakes (made up in our 2 litre water bottles) and had our feet tended to by the wonderful Keith and his ladies Pippa and Sarah (you can see Pippa and Sarah in the back of this photo). Will was also at the checkpoint which was great as my right hip had started causing me some issues. I had taped it with Rock tape but took the opportunity to have it massaged before we headed off to the next checkpoint.<br />
We had a change of clothes at checkpoint 3 which was wonderful - there is nothing better than the feeling of clean kit. Sarah however having forgotten to put her long bottoms in her backpack had hoped she would have a pair at this checkpoint so she could give the ones she had borrowed off Jamie back to him but it seems that for some reason she had missed them out of this one as well so Jamie's trousers were to prove to be a life saver as I am sure Sarah would have frozen otherwise. <br />
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We were soon set and ready to go, clothes changed muscles massaged and feet taped. Off we went to check point 4 on what was to be the hottest day of the race ................. </div>
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To be continued </div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">you can sponsor Sarah and I at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Oceanfloor
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696546170536568010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926135165572798171.post-90472658170195589252013-02-22T15:20:00.001-08:002013-02-22T16:16:42.284-08:00OFR Part 1 <div style="text-align: center;">
The day was almost here. Sarah arrived at my house on the 30th January and we spent most of the evening packing and re packing our kit bags and checking the food we were taking, adding and removing items and generally faffing. </div>
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We finally went to bed at about 1am and after a restless sleep headed off to the airport. It was here that we met up with Mathew Neal who was to become a life saver later on in the week and Kenwynne Barber a wonderdul and inspiring lady. </div>
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Our flight was delayed so we passed the time chatting about previous races and getting to know each other - it was nice to be around such like minded people and all of us so excited and nervous about the prospect running 160 miles.</div>
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Eventually it was time to board - it was finally beginning to hit me what we were about to do </div>
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We were flying with Egypt air and Sarah and I had managed to secure some extra leg room seats which was great because I hate being cramped up. </div>
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The flight passed quite quickly - I hate take off but once we were up I put a film on to my Ipad and watched that for most of the flight. </div>
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On arrival in to Egypt we were greeted by a gentleman from the Cairo Novotel Hotel and were swiftly taken to collect our baggage whilst he sorted our visas. I have been to Egypt before so the fact that he ran off with our passports didn't really phase me - the others however were a little uncertain. Thankfully he did come back passports and all and took us to the hotel :) I can still hear Matts sigh of relief</div>
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On arrival we were greeted by a very happy Keith - it was nice to finally meet him after pestering him with so many questions on Facebook. We also met Will our physio, Adrian one of the helpers and Jamie who certainly beat me on the red hair stakes. I am sure there was someone else there as well and I feel awful but I can't for the life of me remember who it was - sorry :( </div>
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We stayed and had a few drinks with the guys before retiring to bed. We planned on relaxing the next day and using the time to sort our drop bags - I secretly had hoped to do a spot of sunbathing but alas the weather was not on my side it was actually raining the next day when we went down to breakfast so we spent the day inside and went a bit OTT on the drop bag organisation as a result :) </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drop Bags OTT Style</td></tr>
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We had a plan for our drop bags, we would have hot food in every other drop bag, snacks and sweets in all of them and a change of clothes in bags 3/5/7/9. We also has several packs of batteries for the head torches, sun lotion, bio freeze and in every single one a goodness shake. We did also make time for a little look around the hotel shops. Tony took a particular liking to this headress </div>
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Throughout the day various other people arrived we met with Bryan Rudd, Tony Hugill and Tommaso and George. </div>
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Sharon, Pietro and Tom all arrived on a later flight and as we knew the flight Tom was on I managed to organise him a meet and greet at the airport for which he seemed quite thankful :)</div>
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That evening we met the rest of the crew - Pippa who was our doctor and Sarah who was a physio. both lovely ladies whom I will never forget. </div>
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The morning of the race we were all up and down for breakfast early. It was great to finally meet everyone and we got our first glimps of the hoodies we were to get after the race as all of the race crew were wearing them. There was such a buzz in the air. The coach arrived on time (unheard of in Egypt) and once we had all checked out we were on our way to the desert for the start of the OFR 2013. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The troups on the bus</td></tr>
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I would love to say that the Journey to the airport went without a hitch .............. but about 30 minutes in to the Journey we realised that our van was having a few issues in that whenever the driver took his foot off the accelerator the van stalled. So of we went to make a quick pitstop and to change buses. It was here that my last photos would be taken - I stupidly managed to leave my phone on the old bus when we transferred over to the new one. I was absoloutly gutted I had planned to do little video diaries and to take hundreds of pictures. Luckily we still had Sarahs phone so all was not lost. </div>
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On the plus side our little pitstop gave Tom the time to discover an exciting new aspect to his MDS bag - it has a strap to help releive the pressure from your back to your head - simply wonderful </div>
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About an hour and a half later and we were on our way again. It was a long journey, we stopped for lunch on the way and once we arrived at the meeting point it was very dark. We met with some jeeps and drove for about 15-20 mintes in to the white desert. This was the first time we met Dhiaa who was to be our host for the week he was fascinating to listen too (the official tour guide for the National Geographic). On arrival in to camp we were more than pleasantly surprised to find that rather than one tent with everyone sleeping on the floor (which for some reason is just what I had expected) there were tents that slept up to three and we had real actual beds with matresses and quilts. I couldn't believe it. There was even a toilet and a shower tent, a tent for eating and sitting in and a kitchen tent. It was marvellous and such a luxury which we hadn't expected. </div>
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Of course the first order of the evening was to have our race briefing - Keith explained the race plans to us and we decided to start the run slightly earlier the next day given that most people were eager to get going. After this we moved on to the most important part of the evening - the Onesie party :) prior to arriving in Cairo several of us had met on facebook and myself and Sarah had decided it would be a great idea if we all bought a onesie and wore it in the camp - little did we know that poeple would actually agree with us but they did and this was the outcome :) </div>
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I am sure that some of the others were looking at us like we were mental (this was before they found out that we actually were mental). </div>
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We all took an early night keen to sleep to make the race day come quicker just like we used to do when we were younger on Christmas Eve. </div>
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I slept surprisingly well and on race morning woke refreshed and ready to go. We had breakfast and finished packing all of our kit and took our drop bags out to the designated area in camp. We then settled around Dhiaa to listen to some information and guidance on the route and how to work out flares.</div>
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Once the race briefing was over we had time for a few last minute photos and then we were off for the one hour drive to the start line </div>
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This is where I am going to leave the blog for now - I haven't even started the run yet but I didn't want to miss anything out :) I will return soon with part two and a lot more photos of this incredible and life changing event.</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">you can sponsor Sarah and I at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Oceanfloor
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696546170536568010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926135165572798171.post-33595857194867413752013-01-31T01:15:00.001-08:002013-01-31T01:15:14.284-08:00And we are on the waySo it is D Day at last. I have to admit at times I wondered if the day to head out to the desert would come. These last few days seem to have taken years and I am sure the next few will pass so fast I will wish I hadn't wished them here so soon.<br />
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Sarah stayed at mine last night so we could be ready early to leave for the airport. We were meant to leave at 08:30 but I faffed around for a bit putting songs on to a playlist which we probably won't listen to after all.<br />
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We will be flying out at 14:00 with Egyptair who have very kindly agreed to upgrade myself and Sarah to club class seats if the availability is still there. Such a lovely gesture from them and having never flown in club class before I can't wait to check it out. So a massive thank you to EgyptAIr for doing that for us. <br />
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We should be meeting two other runners at the airport which will be nice and a few are already out there. We have packed trainers and a full set of kit in our hand luggage just in case our bags get lost which had been the case of some of the runners who are already in Egypt (hopefully they will get their bags today) better safe than sorry though.<br />
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Our flight lands at 20:45 into Cairo and I am sure I will have lots to say by tomorrow. I have wifi in the hotel until we leave for the desert Saturday morning so will post again.<br />
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Very nervous now - it all feels so real<br />
<br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-dxvi79Y9ows/UQo2HzFSJTI/AAAAAAAACGE/CZqDDHBi5wk/s640/blogger-image-1481500829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-dxvi79Y9ows/UQo2HzFSJTI/AAAAAAAACGE/CZqDDHBi5wk/s640/blogger-image-1481500829.jpg" /></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">you can sponsor Sarah and I at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Oceanfloor
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696546170536568010noreply@blogger.com1Cambridgeshire (null)52.380909 -0.093906tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926135165572798171.post-18769548384491280782013-01-23T14:31:00.004-08:002013-01-23T14:35:00.123-08:00snow running Some may think - nooooooo it's snowing - how am I going to train ? where will I run? AM I GOING TO HAVE TO USE......................THE DREADMILL !!!!!!!!<br />
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But no - I saw the snow and got very excited indeed - I love running in the snow - everything looks so pretty and as long as you wrap up warm you can really enjoy it. I also figured that as it was going to be slippy I would have to shorten my stride, concentrate a lot more and it would be a lot harder on my legs and ankles - perfect desert training (if you forget about the fact that it is bloody freezing).<br />
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I had actually been due to run the Folkesworth 15 this weekend but it was cancelled due to the snow (a couple of the guys from my club in Peterborough went anyway and confirmed there was a section of the course which was pretty nasty). </div>
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In leu of this I decided I would work a shift behind the bar at the Music Box, get home at 4am and then go out for a run in the morning with my parents. Staying at there house was much easier as the Music Box is in St Ives and that is where my parents live. Plus I now get a turn down service at the parents :) </div>
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The next morning it started snowing quite early, my Dad was concerned about this as he and Mum have Dubai Marathon this week and didn't want to fall over and injure themselves. We decided to drive part of the course we were looking to run and if it was too bad we would just run down the bus route which we knew was clear. I knew once we were outside it would be fine and the fact that it had started snowing again actually made it better because it wasn't as icy. <br />
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We did a 7 mile run and stopped for a for some pictures on the way :) I love being able to run with my parents it's really nice and a good time to chat and see how everyone is :) now if only I could persuade my 7 brothers and sisters to do it aswell ..............<br />
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Here are some of our pics from the run </div>
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This was also my first opportunity to use my new<a href="http://www.inov-8.com/New/Global/Product-View-RacePac-25.html?L=26" target="_blank"> Inov-8 Pack</a> and I have to say I am very very happy with it. I was worried that getting it so close to the race might cause a problem but it was very comfortable and all of my kit fitted in with plenty of space to spare. I used the compression straps to make sure nothing bounced around inside and they worked perfectly and I used the side pouches to store my 9-bar for after the run (I didn't really need it for 7 miles but I thought it was a good excuse to eat one :) ) The only slight issue I had was with the bottle holder - it was fine but it did keep hitting my shoulder ever so slightly - over a shorter run - perhaps even up to 30 miles this wouldn't be irritating but I think over 160 miles I would prefer to be safe so I have bought some velcro to sew on to it just for that extra bit of support. <br />
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I plan to have a fuller review for you following the race but will take some close up pictures of the pack before then and show you how all of the kit fits in to it. <br />
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<a href="http://www.stridersedge.com/" target="_blank">Striders Edge</a> have also very kindly sent me a few more tops to take with me to the desert - me and Sarah decided that we would use the drop bags to our advantage and evey 30 miles we are leaving the option of a change of clothes - I didn't have enough so they have sent me some more - the thing I like most about the kit from Striders edge is that I actually cant wait to wear it - and the colours are gorgeous. <br />
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The only other brand of TShirt I plan on taking with me to the desert is the one that me and Sarah had made by the wonderful people at <a href="http://www.shotbowl.co.uk/embroidery_custom_made.html" target="_blank">Shotbowl</a>. Check these out <br />
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These are the sponsors that we don't have branded products for but who have kindly helped in our challenged. <br />
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A week tomorrow we leave Aghhhhhhhh I can't friggin wait <br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">you can sponsor Sarah and I at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Oceanfloor
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696546170536568010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926135165572798171.post-84045262984752689602013-01-16T14:07:00.002-08:002013-01-16T14:07:52.193-08:0015 minutes of fame and Ninjas V GPS <div style="text-align: center;">
WOW - What a couple of weeks we have had. Since meeting Mimi on the 5th January Sarah and I have been interviewed by Ian Corless from <a href="http://www.marathontalk.com/talk_ultra/episode_26_wardian_journeyfilm_bragg.php" target="_blank">Talk Ultra</a>. </div>
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For those of you who aren't aware Talk Ultra is an incredibly popular Ultra running podcast and to actually have the chance to be interviewed for the 15 mins of fame section is an absoloute honour so thank you to Ian for giving us the opportunity to appear. </div>
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I think I can speak for both myself and Sarah when I say we were ridiculously nervous for the interview. We weren't sure how it would work and of course because me and Sarah were not together it was going to be difficult to know when to speak. </div>
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When Ian called it was the wierdest feeling - I have completed so many long runs listening to him on the podcast so I recognised the voice immediatly but actually hearing him speak to me was very surreal. </div>
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We had a lovely conversation and Ian asked us lots of questions about the race and our preperation for it and it wasn't at all as scary as we thought. </div>
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If you would like to listen to our interview you can find it by clicking the link below</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.marathontalk.com/talk_ultra/episode_26_wardian_journeyfilm_bragg.php" target="_blank">Click for episode</a></td></tr>
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We are 1hr 52 mins in - but make sure you take the time to listen to the whole episode there are some incredible interviews on this one. Perfect for listening to on your long run.<br />
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The weekend just gone (i can never figure out if you say this weekend or last weekend for the weekend just gone) Karl and I travelled over to stay with Sarah and Ben oop North.<br />
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It was a great trip - we left on the Friday after work, and after batteling with the sat nav to give us a route that wouldn't take us on a toll road we finally got there to a dinner ready and waiting for us :) we did plan to have an early night ready to get up early for a run but of course this didn't happen once we got chatting :) we finally went to bed around midnight and agreed to get up at 7 to run at 8 ( late for Sarahs usual Saturday run but early for me)<br />
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we did 3 runs over the weekend, a 12 mile Saturday morning followed by a shorter faster 3.5 mile in the evening and then on Sunday we did a GPS navigated run.<br />
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That's right me and Sarah were let loose on Cannock chase with a GPS and a piece of paper with coordinates for check points. Ben and Karl dropped us off at Cannock chase but not before we had a picture to show that we meant business :)<br />
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Then we were off. We had had a crash course that morning on how to enter in the co-ordinates and a general idea of how it worked. And although we were nervous because if we got this wrong it would be a very bad omen for the desert we were also hopeful that we would kick butt.<br />
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And kick butt we did -<br />
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This is me at check point one. And we hit checkpoint after checkpoint dead on continuously after this </div>
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I didn't actually notice the runners in the road sign until I was uploading this picture earlier :) Sarah is pulling a funny face as she is worried about my husband standing in the road taking the picture, I however seem completley unfased - not sure if that is a good thing ;) </div>
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At this point we had made it back to the last check point and just had a 2 mile run to get home - Sarah knew the way so there was no need for garmins now but mission accomplished<br />
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WE DID IT !!!!<br />
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We then spent the rest of the day relaxing and planning what we needed to take (a final list) and also what we needed to put in each drop bag - it became so much more real at this point becuse we were having to think about what we would need at a check point 145 miles in !!! I still can't get my head around it.<br />
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I have my last longish run this weekend - the Folkesworth 15 but I plan on running this having had next to no sleep (I am working at the Music Box in St Ives the night before) and carrying my full pack - wish me luck<br />
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On that note I should also mention that we received our packs this week from the wonderful people at Inov-8 - we now each have a <a href="http://www.inov-8.com/new/global/Product-View-RacePac-25.html?L=26" target="_blank">racepac 25</a> litre and some water bottles and a mesh pouch to use with it. I can't wait to try this out at the weekend and will post a review on how I got along with it following the race :)<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">you can sponsor Sarah and I at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Oceanfloor
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696546170536568010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926135165572798171.post-19261157422381173502013-01-07T06:21:00.000-08:002013-01-07T06:21:15.863-08:00The day I met a legend<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta;">If you had told me this time last year that I would be meeting one of (IMO) the most incredible female ultra runners ever I would never have believed you. </span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta;">But it is true. The weekend just gone - Saturday 5th January, myself and Sarah travelled to London to meet the one and only Marvelous Mimi Anderson. </span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta;">For those of you who don't know Mimi you can find out a lot more about her on her blog - </span><a href="http://marvellousmimi.com/"><span style="color: magenta;">http://marvellousmimi.com</span></a><span style="color: magenta;">) Mimi is an inspirational runner who loves pink and just happens to be a world record holding grandmother. </span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta;">To name but a few Mimi's achievements include; </span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta;"> World record for the fastest crossing on foot of Ireland - Sept 2012 - 345 miles in 3 days, 15 hours36 minutes and 55 seconds</span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta;"> Viking Way Ultra - April 2012 - 147.9 miles 3rd overall and only lady to finish</span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta;">Spartathlon 2011 - 245k non stop race, 1st Brit, 3rd female </span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta;">Double Badwater - July 2011 (as if once wasn't enough) - 1st British female to complete the double</span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta;">Mimi joined the Facebook page I had made for the Ocean floor Ultra (before the official page was created) and even seeing her name pop up caused me to jump up and down with excitement. I had listened to her interview on talk ultra and following that had read her blog from start to finish. I tentatively sent her a message asking if she would be running the race - not at all expecting a reply but there it was not long after - I couldn't believe it. We carried on chatting between myself, mimi and Sarah and eventually arranged to meet up for a coffee as Mimi was kind enough to offer to meet us and give us some advice for the run. </span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta;">Travelling to London on Saturday morning I didn't feel too nervous, that is until we got to the hotel where we were meeting her and then I started to feel it. But in she came and I knew it was her straight away - she was of course wearing pink :) </span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta;">Well what can I see - she was simply Marvellous - we got through 3 cups of coffee and a glass of wine each and talked for hours about Mimi's experiences in races, what methods she used to keep her going through the tough times and the longer runs, what items to leave in our drop bags, which backpacks we were using (inov-8 25 ltr kindly donated by inov-8) to tape or not to tape the feet, whether or not to wear 3/4 length bottoms or shorts the list goes on</span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta;">In one afternoon we got more advise than I think either of us has had thus far and I cannot thank Mimi enough for taking the time out of her day to meet with us. We had such a good time and really enjoyed chatting away. It's just a shame the time had to come to an end. </span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta;">We have arranged to meet with Mimi when we get back from the run to let her know how we got on and to show her our pictures from the race :) I have to finish it now just so I can say hello again :) </span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta;">Of course we couldn't end the afternoon without a picture with our running idol</span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta;">So a big thanks once again to Mimi it was wonderful to meet you and I look forward to seeing you again once the race is completed.</span></div>
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">you can sponsor Sarah and I at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Oceanfloor
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696546170536568010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926135165572798171.post-65131591436633364222012-12-31T08:23:00.001-08:002012-12-31T08:23:51.052-08:00Last run of 2012 <div style="text-align: center;">
Well what a year 2012 has been. </div>
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I started this year with a half marathon PB of 2:33 and a goal to get it to 2:15 - at the time I thought that was a far fetched goal but I am pleased to say that back at the St Neots Half I managed to smash my target and got my PB down to 2:07. </div>
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I also had a target to get my 10k PB down from 1:09 to under the hour. Again not something I thought I could manage but today at the last possible opportunity I managed to get my 10k PB down to 56:22 so I am in a pretty good mood at the moment. </div>
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Todays run was the Ely NYE 10k. I entered this race the day it opened back in September - it didn't matter that I was in Dubai at the time. I was determined to get in as I had enjoyed it last year and it was a good job i didn't wait as it closed within the same day. It was a ridiculously windy day but I managed to plough on through and was very pleased to come out of it with a PB which is not something I expected when I woke up this morning. </div>
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Not only that but this year was the year of the Ultra - I can now call myself an ULTRA RUNNER wahoooooooooo</div>
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Next year I plan to do the following; </div>
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1. Take my Half Marathon PB down to under 2 hours </div>
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2. Take my 10k PB down to 50 minutes </div>
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3. Take my Marathon PB down to 5 hours (or under if I can) </div>
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4. Complete the Ocean floor race without completley breaking myself</div>
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5. Complete the Adidas Thunder run 24 hour as a solo runner </div>
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6. Complete the Fat Feet Grimsthorpe Ultra Marathon (70 mile option) in one piece</div>
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As mentioned above one of my targets and my very next race is the Ocean Floor Ultra Marathon. I leave the UK for Egypt along with my good friend Sarah Gardner Hall on the 31st January. I can't beleive how fast this has come around and can only hope my mixed training will be enough to get me through the race along with my sheer determination to get to the end and raise as much money as I can for Mac Millan cancer support. </div>
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I only met Sarah a short while ago - after seeing her at the Thunder run this year a solo runner (her not me) I contacted her to see if she would like to run the Ocean floor race. I didn't expect her to run it with me at all but when she brought it up and said she would like to I was thankful but also slightly worried as she is a lot faster than me (with a 2 hour lead on my best marathon time) However these worries proved to be unfounded as Sarah has been a wonderful support in the lead up to the event and has become more like a big sister to me than just another person to run with. </div>
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She now knows not to talk to me in the morning as I am grumpy as hell, she knows she can tell me to shut up and stop whining when I am tired and I know we will work well together when we finally get out to the desert. </div>
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So thank you Sarah for putting up with me and Here is to an incredible 2013 - </div>
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BRING IT ON !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</div>
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I would also like to say a massive thank you to all of our supporters for the Ocean floor race we couldn't do it without you and will be sure to send you photos of our treck when we get back :) </div>
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I would also like to say a big thank you to my mother who has been coming on several long runs with me in my training (as she is also training for her very own ultra) and my husband for putting up with all of my running and training and supporting me the whole way. </div>
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Also good luck to my Dad who will be completing his very first Marathon in Dubai in January - GO DAD !!</div>
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Happy new year everyone. See you on the other side </div>
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xxxxx</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9bNZwb8oYKs/UOG8CUcQIII/AAAAAAAACBY/Nrea02ESH60/s1600/556863_10200254233941411_252879535_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9bNZwb8oYKs/UOG8CUcQIII/AAAAAAAACBY/Nrea02ESH60/s1600/556863_10200254233941411_252879535_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">you can sponsor Sarah and I at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Oceanfloor
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696546170536568010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926135165572798171.post-59936263023694697432012-12-16T11:13:00.000-08:002012-12-16T11:13:45.036-08:00Striders Edge - proving you CAN look good whilst excercising A month or so ago I posted on here to say that Striders edge had very kindly agreed to help me out with some kit for the Ocean Floor Ultra Marathon in February. <br />
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I was so excited when I received the email from Kate ('Founder and Creative Director' ) to say she would love to help out and to let her know which bits of kit I thought I could use best. </div>
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I have to admit to being a little bit like a kid in a sweet shop - I must have chosen and re chosen a hundred times before I finally settled on the items I thought I could use best. </div>
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I then also decided to buy a few extra bits - well honestly trying to decide was so difficult and a few things just happened to fall in to the online basket there was nothing I could do about it ;)<br />
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The top below is one of my favourites it is the <span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.stridersedge.com/endurance-insulite-l-s-crag-grey-with-black/" target="_blank">Endurance Insulite L/S - Crag Grey with Black</a> not only is the fabric a dream to wear, so soft and stretchy it is also slimming with it's contrast black panels and also has the signature sports thumb through cuff - these are brilliantly designed. With most tops that have the thumb through cuffs if you choose not to wear it with your thumb through you can just see a big hole there - with the Striders Edge tops you don't it just looks like a smooth design. </span></div>
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Also in the above pictures I am wearing the <a href="http://www.stridersedge.com/peak-elements-tight/" target="_blank">Peak elements tights</a> and I have to be completely honest - I hate it when I have to put these in the wash as you can really tell the difference in the cold weather when you don't have them on. The tights are antibacterial and they are windproof (which in England is a blessing) They are made with a supportive 4 way stretch fabric and the pockets are just perfect. As the pockets are on the front rather than the side or back they are easier to get to and the material they have used for the pockets means that you don't feel the items in the pockets as much as you would in other tights. I often use mine to stow my iphone in when I am on a long run and listening to a podcast. and I forget it is there. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pocket on Peak Elements Tights</td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E7tBL1Vuk7g/UM4WcBG2wZI/AAAAAAAACAI/98vD3KyPvi4/s1600/Stride+lite+jacket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img bea="true" border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E7tBL1Vuk7g/UM4WcBG2wZI/AAAAAAAACAI/98vD3KyPvi4/s320/Stride+lite+jacket.jpg" width="247" /></a>One of the items I purchased from Striders edge was the <a href="http://www.stridersedge.com/stride-lite-run-jacket-black/" target="_blank">Stride Lite run Jacket </a> shown below.I don't have a picture of myself in this yet but hope to get one up soon. This is possibly the most flattering jacket on the market at the moment. I would even consider wearing this when not running. It is so comfortable, light and again has the thumb through cuffs which are perfect for the cold weather and also means that wind is not able to go through the cuffs of the jacket. It has a stretch back panel to allow full freedom of movement and the hem of the jacket cinches to keep out the wind and also style in to a bomber effect. I am so pleased with this jacket and can say it was definitely a good purchase. </div>
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Striders edge is a luxury women's sportswear brand. Their clothing is not only beautiful to look at - with non of that Garish fluorescent pink, it is also beautiful to wear. They are well cut and designed with the female body in mind (Kates Muse is a Bond Girl) and prove that you really can look good and get sweaty at the same time. I don't think it will be too long before I am making a few more 'Christmas present to myself' purchases. Keep and eye out for the reviews on my other items of clothing coming soon.
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">you can sponsor Sarah and I at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Oceanfloor
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696546170536568010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926135165572798171.post-84135973425152090012012-12-02T10:50:00.002-08:002012-12-02T10:50:27.512-08:00Training and Christmas shoppingIt is always harder to find the time to train when it comes to the Christmas season. I have been a bit slack with my blog lately becasue of this - one thing had to go and it was either running or this. <br />
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On the 23rd November I held a pamper evening to help raise money for Macmillan cancer support and also to help raise funds for the Ocean floor race. I had done one of these previously and it had been very succesful so I thought I would do another. This one wasn't as busy as last time which was a real shame as we had some wonderful stalls there and I felt really bad that it wasn't as busy but it was still a successful evening all the same raising £180 for Macmillan Cancer support - as soon as I have paid this in to the bank I will update the fundraising page to reflect this. <br />
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What made the evening more special was that Sarah came down to support the event as well along with her husband Ben. We had planned on spending the Saturday looking around running shops and getting Sarahs V02 Max test done (Kindly offered to us free by Advanced performance in Cambridge) and then running the Hereward relay as an ultra on the Sunday. <br />
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Unfortunatly as you know, the weather was truly awful that weekend and this resulted in the race being cancelled due to part of the route at the beginning being under 4ft of water and rising the day before and the Welney wash being flooded meaning the last section was also not runnable. It was such a shame. <br />
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So instead on Saturday we went off to Cambridge - Sarah had her V02 max test done and was classed as Exceptional (I think that was it and if I don't get the same she will never let me live it down) to make this more fun for me I decided to take a picture of Sarah looking beautful with her mask on :) <br />
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As I mentioned earlier this V02 test was provided for us free of charge by <a href="http://www.advanceperformance.co.uk/" target="_blank">Advanced Performance</a> for which we are very grateful. I haven't booked in for mine yet but as soon as I have it I will post some suitably embarrasing photos of myself as well :) <br />
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After out little outing to check Sarahs V02 we decided to head off to have a look around Cambridge and keep out of the house for a bit as my husband was working all day at home so we didn't want to get in the way. Then that evening we went out for dinner, it was actually really nice to enjoy our meal without having to worry about getting up so early for the run in the morning. <br />
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I have to say the race organisers from the <a href="http://marchathleticclub.co.uk/Home.php" target="_blank">March Athletics club</a> were superb in letting us know the race was cancelled, they emailed me and when they couldn't reach me on one number they also called me on my second number just to make sure I was aware along with Sarah. They are looking at re arranging rhe race for late Feb but unfortunatly that will be a bit late for us as we have the Ocean floor race at the beginning of February and I intend on resting for the remainder of the month after this one :)<br />
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Instead myself and Sarah decided to still go on a run just not as long a run - it was early Sunday morning we learned that we are going to have to be careful in the desert - I am NOT a morning person - my husband knows that speaking to me first thing before I have done my work out or had a shower is not the best of ideas. I usally just role out of bed chuck on my workout kit and do my Insanity work out in the front room (I will blog more about this another time) and after that I am fully awake - I challenge anyone not to be - and I am once more human and ready to face the day. Sarah however is an entirely diffent story - she is chatty and bubbly and full of beans first thing in the morning and I kept snapping at her - Sarah if it is any consolation I do feel bad :) but consider it a warning ;) <br />
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Once we got out the door and started running I instantly began to calm down and felt much better. We took a new route from my house which I have never done before and arranged for the men to meet us in March at 13 miles. We had intended to run a bit longer but decided instead to go home once they met us and get some much needed planning done for the Ocean floor - making to do lists and planning which kit we would need to take with us. <br />
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On this note we would both like to say a MASSIVE thank you to our new sponsors; <br />
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Hope have donated a headtorch to each of us - I plan on doing a review on this shortly so watch this space </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.feeturesbrand.com/">http://www.feeturesbrand.com/</a><br />
Feetures have provided myself and Sarah with several pairs of socks to wear for training and in the race. <br />
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As you can see they have been more than kind to us. Feetures are an American company but they are also online so you can of course buy their wonderful products using the link above. Sarah has been to see them at the Expo for the Las Vegas Half Marathon (she is running this tonight so All the best Sarah if you read this before hand) I hope to also do a review on these socks in the near future and have a perfect weekend in mind. <br />
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Another new sponsor is that of Bloc Sunglasses. I wrote to them a few weeks back in the hope that they might be able to help us out with a pair of glasses each for the run to help protect our eyes from the sand and the sun (with the idea that we could change to clear lenses at night and use our buffs to help protect as well) and Colin Pickering from their head office kindly sent us each Three - yes three pairs. I couldn't beleive it when I recieved the email from him saying he was sending them out and we are both truly thankful. I have yet to decide which pair I will take with me but am going to try them out ona few day runs here to make sure I am confortable wearing them and to give me the time to alter the fit if needed. <br />
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I am going to sign off for now - I have Christmas lights to put up and after my 16 mile run this morning I should probable give my husband some attention. :) Thank you again to all of our wonderful sponsors and to everyone who is supporting myself and Sarah especially to friends and family who are putting up with the long runs and turned down invitations - I promise service will return to normal after the run :) <br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">you can sponsor Sarah and I at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Oceanfloor
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696546170536568010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926135165572798171.post-14195714047232912512012-11-14T12:47:00.000-08:002012-11-14T12:47:32.716-08:00Why are efforts so..... effortyTuesdays are my effort nights - recently I have been doing these over at the club (Bushfield joggers in Peterborough). <br />
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It goes a little something like this - I post online on monday the type of efforts I am looking at doing and wait to see if anyone else is interested in joining me. Usually there are one or two who are up for it but if no one fancies it I just do them from home. <br />
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Last night I had three willing victims Mary, Wendy and Becky. I had seen a few new efforts ideas in the trail running magazine I am subscribed to and thought I would give one of those ago. We did 15 minutes warm up followed by 20 minutes doing 1 minute fast and one minute slow then a 15 minute cool down. <br />
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The idea was to run at threshold pace but I think we all pushed it just that little bit more - I have no idea why it's not like if we got to the end quicker we would be able to finish sooner - we had to do all of them before we could relax. <br />
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Any way - as always the first one seemed to last FOREVER but gradually as we got in to the rythym of it they seemed to come a little easier. This is one I really enjoyed and I think perhaps I could look at increasing it to 25 - 30 minutes in the coming weeks to make it more diffucult but that was a good tester. <br />
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I have really enjoyed bringing some of the efforts back to the club - we used to do them every week but it was gradually phased out as it didn't seem to be very popular - it still isn't really but as long as I have a few people interested each week I shall keep doing them :)<br />
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I love the feeling after doing the efforts - I am always very nervous to begin with but by the time you reach the half way mark it doesn't seem quite as bad - you can usually trick your mind by saying ' its ok your halfway there now - your on the way home' :) and then when you are finished you feel like Superwoman (or man)<br />
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In other news I mentioned previously that <a href="http://www.thesportsinjuryclinic.org/" target="_blank">The sports injury clinic</a> were going to help me out with some discounted rates for Sports massages which is excellent but not only that they are going to be providing myself and Sarah with a foam roller - I can't decided whether to be happy about this or not - foam rollers may look like very innocent little things but they are EVIL truly the work of the devil - anyone out there reading this and laughing - I dare you - try one and then let me know if you still think they are innocent </div>
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That is all :) <br />
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Good night <br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">you can sponsor Sarah and I at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Oceanfloor
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696546170536568010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926135165572798171.post-2639282825643081432012-11-11T14:14:00.002-08:002012-11-11T14:14:37.524-08:00So proud of my Daddy :) <br />
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Today was a very proud day for me. </div>
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My Dad used to say to me and my mum when we went off for a run - Running only makes you tired/it's bad for you/i don't know why you do it .... replace as you see fit. </div>
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However just over a month ago dad decided he wanted to loose a little bit of weight and thought he might try out this running lark after all so off he went on a walk/run. </div>
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He called me right after to let me know and I was so excited I could burst - I have always wanted dad to get in to running as I knew it would be a good hobby for him and something to help relax him after a long day working (he is a driving instructor so his job as I am sure you can imagine gets very stressful at times) </div>
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The next week I went over to see him and go on a walk with him - I genuinely thought he meant just a walk so I went over in my jeans and flat shoes expecting a nice little meander - how wrong was I ! I arrived and dad was all kitted up in his trainers (we wont go in to the type of trainers he had on) shorts and t-shirt. I quickly changed in to some borrowed running kit from my mum and my sisters trainers and off we went. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--cdcDuqtc60/UKAjMuSNvhI/AAAAAAAAB7E/m3pMu854mDs/s1600/runner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" rea="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--cdcDuqtc60/UKAjMuSNvhI/AAAAAAAAB7E/m3pMu854mDs/s320/runner.jpg" width="239" /></a>Dad said he wanted to do a walk/run so I took him at his word and every now and then said to him "right dad, lets run from this tree to that lamppost" and we kept doing this for a little while. Dad got the hang of the idea and was soon deciding where we would run from and too and occasionally extending the goal posts just before we reached them. I was really happy for him when we got back as he had done more running than ever before and had decreased the amount of walking and seemed to be enjoying himself. </div>
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From then I received several text/calls each day telling me - I did this today/I got to 3 miles/4miles/5 miles and the numbers just kept increasing - he was even doing hill efforts - something he had sworn he would never do ! <br />
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Dad was all set to do his first ever race - a 10k when he managed to injure his ankle during a night time run (see i told you the dark was dangerous) and had to rest for a few weeks, he was gutted and I was really upset for him but he rested and iced and was soon back again and back building up his mileage. <br />
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So fast forward a week and he decided he wanted to have a go at running 10.5 miles and run it he did. We left the house this morning, me, mum and dad, at 10:45 headed for Needingworth - I have to admit that this route is not my favourite route but it is good for a longer run as long as you can keep from being knocked off the road by the cars :) To begin with myself and mum stuck with Dad and then for a while ran on and looped back (this is the same sort of thing we do at club and many people have had to do this for me before and still do) Dad however decided he didn;t like this (i think perhaps he was fed up of hearing us jabbering on - he much prefers running and getting some peace and quiete :) ) so we ran on and agreed we would meet Dad at the finish,. <br />
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Myself and mum got to 10 miles and decided to walk the final half a mile home as mum is just back running after an injury and she didnt want to cause it any more damage - it had started to hurt so better to be safe than sorry. <br />
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We got back to the house went in put the kettle on and went back outside to cheer dad in. We were stood there chatting away and Dad snuck up on us running from the opposit direction. - he had decided he wanted to make the run the full 10.5 miles rather than the 10.3 it would have been if he had come in the same way as we had and ran a little extra to make up the difference. :) </div>
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I am so proud of you Dad - well done on the run today - it just goes to show you really can do anything if you put your mind to it. </div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">you can sponsor Sarah and I at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Oceanfloor
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696546170536568010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926135165572798171.post-56450313631567128692012-11-09T01:01:00.000-08:002012-11-12T08:44:20.339-08:00Striders Edge new sponsor !!!!!!<div style="text-align: center;">
I am really excited to announce a new sponsor for myself for the Ocean floor race </div>
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Striders edge is a new company founded by Katy Biddulph - a sports enthusiast, outdoors lover and former sweatty betty designer.</div>
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Firstly a bit about the company</div>
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"Striders Edge creates beautiful and functional sportswear for women. We continuously push the boundaries by marrying style and luxury with technical innovation. Our products address functionality, quality and impeccable style for women.</div>
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Created with premium performance fabrics and manufactured to the highest standards to execute technical garments with soft hand feel and wearability, designed to dress the fitness lover, run enthusiast, and avid hiker."</div>
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And I can honestly say I agree with the above. When my package of new goodies arrived on Wednesday I was so excited to try them out. They felt so soft and you could instantly tell the quality of the clothing was excellent and was going to be a joy to wear. </div>
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So looking forward to wearing them was I that I even went out on a night time run all by myself last night just so I could :) For those of you who read my last post you will know that the dark is not my friend (yet) so this was a big thing for me to do ;) </div>
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Here is a picture of me in some of my new items - note that it is dark so that is proof :)<br />
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You can't really see the clothes at there best in this image so I have attached below the pro pictures of the items that Striders edge kindly sent me -</div>
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I am really looking forward to wearing the trousers in the desert - they are ridiculously comfortable and nice and warm which I think in the evenings is going to be very important for me as I get cold quickly. Also the pockets on them are brilliant and they are very flattering (I know no one will see me in the desert but hey).</div>
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The jacket shown below is also something that I will 100% be taking with me again it is lovely and warm and very comfortable to wear. I will probably buy a base layer to put under this as well and take a fleee just in case as I would rather have too much than too little. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stridersedge.com/peak-elements-tight/" target="_blank">Peak elements tight</a></td></tr>
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I think with the climate control top I should have asked for a slightly bigger size as it did ride up slightly when i was running but this would be perfect for gym workouts which I will be incorporating in to my training so I will wear it for those. The Climate map lite t I haven't yet worn for a run but am thinking I will wear it when I go for my run on Sunday with my dad - he wants to run 11 miles so I thought I would go with him for encouragement and it will also mean that I don't run off too fast which is something I tend to do when on my own on the longer runs. </div>
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<a href="http://www.stridersedge.com/engineered-c-map-lite-t-sunny-lime/" target="_blank">cmap lite t sunny lime</a> <a href="http://www.stridersedge.com/engineered-climate-map-tank-ruby-wine/" target="_blank">Climate map tank</a></div>
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They have also sent me over one of their headbands which looked tiny when I took it out of the packet compared to the ones I have already but when I put it on it was perfect - just the right size to cover my ears and keep them warm and keep my hair out of my face :) </div>
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So as you can see Striders edge have been wonderfully kind and I am so impressed with the quality of their products I also plan on buying a base layer from them <a href="http://www.stridersedge.com/engineered-climate-map-l-s-t-sunset-berry/">http://www.stridersedge.com/engineered-climate-map-l-s-t-sunset-berry/</a> and also this jacket which I have had my eye on ever since I first visited their website <a href="http://www.stridersedge.com/stride-lite-run-jacket-black/">http://www.stridersedge.com/stride-lite-run-jacket-black/</a> I just need to save a few pennies first and maybe ask Santa really nicely :) <br />
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I plan on doing a proper review of the clothing after I have done the Hereward relay Ultra on the 25th November (not to be confused with the Hereward Way Ultra I just did) so keep your eye out for that to see how I get on. <br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">you can sponsor Sarah and I at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Oceanfloor
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696546170536568010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926135165572798171.post-6862109190031006272012-11-06T14:56:00.002-08:002012-11-06T14:56:44.120-08:00Some new sponsors When Sarah and I started this challenge we thought we would write to a few companies to see if we could get any help with the costs for the event and also help getting equipment, never did we think we would be so overcome with support and I would like to say a massive thank you to the following companies; <br />
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J&M electrical wholesalers based in Burntwood Staffordshire (where Sarah lives) have kindly agreed to part fund our trip - we are both so greateful for their help with this thank you so so much. <br />
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The Music box in St Ives where I work weekends has also agreed to help with funding for the trip again thanks so much for your help. <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">We have also received support from the following companies</span></strong></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://rocktape.com/products/tape/" target="_blank">Rock Tape</a></td></tr>
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Rock tape are kindly sending us over some roles of tape to use in training and in the desert</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.shewee.com/" target="_blank">sheewee</a></td></tr>
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Sheewee are very kindly sending us over some sheewees to try and for use in the desert - I am sure that these will become invaluable. - Boys you dont know how easy you've got it</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.theomm.com/" target="_blank">OMM</a><br />
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OMM have agred to allow us a 30% discount off their products - I plan on using this to get my new backpack (following the un happy accident with the first one) and possibly a jacket so thank you OMM.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.trionz.co.uk/" target="_blank">Trion Z</a><br />
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Trion Z have sent us each one of their bracelets to test - I am going to go in to how these work in a seperate blog post but I can honestly say after being very sceptical about if they would work or not i can say that I am certainly seeing a difference - I am now sleeping a lot better even before difficult races or training runs where as usually i wouldnt sleep for worrying - very pleased so far <br />
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I have another exciting new sponsor to announce in the next day or so so keep reading :) </div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">you can sponsor Sarah and I at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Oceanfloor
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696546170536568010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926135165572798171.post-53321198742182030602012-11-05T14:29:00.001-08:002012-11-05T14:33:19.285-08:00Hereward Way Ultra Marathon
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ultrarunningltd.co.uk/hereward-way-ultra.html">http://www.ultrarunningltd.co.uk/hereward-way-ultra.html</a></td></tr>
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In a moment of madness (this was before the moment of pure unadulterated mental unhinging that led me to entering the Ocean floor) I decided it would be an excellent idea to enter a 54 mile Ultra which was due to finish 20 minutes from my house. </div>
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Why you may ask (and if you don't you have to listen to my reasoning anyway) well, my mum sent me the link and as it was so close it seemed rude not to so before I knew it and after sending several very annoying questioning emails to the race organiser - I had entered the event - and then promptly forgot all about it. </div>
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As the event came closer i began to think that as Sarah and I hadn't previously met never mind run together, that it would be a great idea to ask Sarah along to run with me and she very kindly accepted (something which I can almost guarantee she regreted during stage 2 of the run)</div>
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It would be a good opportunity to make sure we wouldn't kill each other in the desert and for me to check that Sarah really did mean it when she said she wouldn't sprint off and leave me to be eaten alive by foxes and other such gremlins in the desert. <br />
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As it turns out - we got along very well. Sarah and her husband arrived on Halloween evening and even after promising I would have dinner ready for their arrival - I didn't - and as soon as they poked fun at me for it I knew we would be fine. We passed the evening discussing race tactics, average pace per mile, nutrition ............. ok complete lie we did however open my box of goodies that Sarah had brought over for me containing lots of items from buff, a shiny new head torch, a spork (yes there is such a thing) a little knife and other such exciting things - I was like a kid at Christmas. </div>
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Eventually we decided we really should go to bed and turned in for the evening with alarms set for 4:45 - me wearing my new Trion Z Bracelet (special thanks to trion Z who sent me and Sarah one of these to try out) I have to admit I was sceptical on wether this would work or not but I had the best nights sleep I have ever had before a run - no dreaming of turning up to the start and no one was there.........<br />
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Just the actual reality - yes it's true - on arrival at the start line (after completley missing the big Ultra running flag the first time around) myself, Sarah and her wonderful Husband ben (who very kindly followed us around all day) arrived at the start line to meet Steven Worallo the race director and no one else. <br />
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We couldn't beleive it when he told us he had had 4 drop outs the night before and that no one else had turned up this morning - there was a small beacon of light when two people turned up in their car - but we soon realised they were the race photographers meaning that Sarah and I had our very own crew consisting of 2 photographers (from<a href="http://summitfever.co.uk/" target="_blank"> Summit Fever photography</a>), the race director and sarahs husband Ben - I now know what it feels like to be famous. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the start line</td></tr>
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Steve decided to let us go at 07:30 instead of 08:00 which was the planned start time so we had slightly more daylight (however in hindsight for next year it would be better if the start was at 06:30 to give just that little extra daylight) Steve sounded the horn and off we went on our way. <br />
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Within half a mile our feet were soaked and our lovely clean shoes were covered in mud - Sarah kept jumping around directly in to the puddles in an attempt to splash me (really i think she just wanted to make it look like she had worked hard ;) ) <br />
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The first checkpoint was after 7 miles at the Cross Keys in Kingscliffe - on arrival we were greeted by the most well stocked check point I have ever seen on a run - never mind that it was only the two of us - there were jam and peanut butter sandwiches, gu energy gels, jelly beans, jelly babies, chocolate mice, red bull, cola. coffee, tea, pot noodles - I would have just stayed there all day but Sarah insisted we carry on so off we went :) <br />
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Off we went towards check point two -There were plenty more muddy fields, slippy slidey banks and a bit of road thrown in to the mix as well. It was on this section that we were pleased we had kept our road shoes even if it did mean they got a bit muddy. I was struggeling with my right knee at this point and my IT Band was playing up - for those of you who don't know me I do most of my running on the road so off road was taking it's toll - even the lesser bits we had on the first two sections so I was slightly worried for what was to come. </div>
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We pushed on though and were soon at Wansford Station which is part of the Nene valley railway - </div>
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And look who we met !!!!</div>
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After all of the excitement of meeting Thomas ( I never saw Sarah more excited than when she saw him) Sarah strapped up my knee with some Rock tape, I threw a few peanut butter and jam sandwiches down my throat and off we went back over the bridge and on the nene valley way. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Iy9_oPgdGy0/UJg4E6JaHKI/AAAAAAAAB2I/E5MdJLSskRE/s1600/hereward-029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rea="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Iy9_oPgdGy0/UJg4E6JaHKI/AAAAAAAAB2I/E5MdJLSskRE/s320/hereward-029.jpg" width="320" /></a> this section of the course however did not run as smoothly as the first. Unfortunatly the route description we had been given wasn't correct and we ended up going quite specatacularly wrong. The worst thing however was not that we went wrong - it was the fact that we went wrong at the same time that the heavens opened and we had to splash accross two fields not once but twice. As i mentioned earlier 98% of my running has been on road so mud and sloshy fields are not something I come along very often. It turns out that it is a good idea to train offroad before you do an ultra (note to self) and my knees promptly reminded me of this fact by putting be in agony for several miles. </div>
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I honestly thought at this point that my run was over. I was struggeling to run more than a few steps without having to stop because of the pain and I will admit to saying a few choice words - at this point meself and sarah were both very quite - later we discovered that I was angry and worried that I wouldn't finish and Sarah was fed up from getting lost and worried for me that I wouldn't finish - bless us :)</div>
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We did however make it to the next checkpoint in Peterborough at the Charters cafe which was a floating cafe and after my treck inside to use the toilets I can confirm it is a very nice little boat and a great location for a nice lunch </div>
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As my knee pain had eased over the last 2 mile I decided I wanted to carry on with the run so I had a quick cup of tea and a bite to eat and off we went again. This was to be the best section so far. The route instructions here were spot on and I can happily say we didn't take one single wrong turn. We did in fact go so well on this section that when we got to the checkpoint at the Three Horseshoes in Whittlesey our support crew were not ready for us :) It was a lovely thing to hear them saying we had completed that section quicker than they had expected. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u_yJvtQUYcs/UJg51xuHwOI/AAAAAAAAB2Y/E17xqDqKhP8/s1600/hereward-006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" rea="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u_yJvtQUYcs/UJg51xuHwOI/AAAAAAAAB2Y/E17xqDqKhP8/s320/hereward-006.jpg" width="240" /></a>This joy was short lived however when I realised that my new backpack when it had decided to open all by itself earlier and spew the contents on to the trail - had managed to also throw out my brand new head torch - luckily for me Sarah had a spare one in the car so refuelled on an ever increasing selection of food (we had litle chocolate crispy cakes at this one :) ) we headed off in to the ever decreasing daylight head torches at the ready. </div>
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This 7 mile section was unfortunatly to be our last of the race - as the light faded we headed out on to the trail in to the middle of no where on our way towards March. </div>
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I have had a fear of the dark since I was little and had thought that after my nightime lap at the thunder run this year I would be ok but this was completley different. Although I was with Sarah, we were in the middle of no where - the route directions were not the best for this section and we couldn't see anything past the beam of the head torch which was obscured by our breath in the cold night air. After having to jump over a ditch to get to the correct side of the path (we must have missed a turning somewhere earlier on) we continued on towards the road we had been looking for. It wasn't long however before we realised we had manage to miss a turning somewhere and had to back track. By this point the dark was really beginning to make me nervous and I found myself struggling to catch my breath and getting really panicy and upset - I know I must sound like a complete wimp but the thought of going back out in to the middle of a field was un bearable. I felt awful when we got to the checkpoint in March and decided to go no further on the run - what annoys me more is that I know my legs could do it and I know my body would have been able to take it as I had managed to fuel myself well - I also know that although Sarah didn't feel entirley safe with the route directions being as they were and it just being us two - that had I said lets go on she would have followed me. </div>
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It is much easier to reflect on this in the comfort of my home wrapped up nice and warm in my dressing gown and kick myself for not having grown a pair and carried on but I know that at that moment in time there was nothing that could have made me carry on - at that moment in time I was more scared than I can ever remember being. </div>
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I know I have to work on my fear and I am going to do that my going out on a few night time runs with other people -I am ok when I am on a route lit with streetlights but I intend to try a few routes with no lights other than my headtorch and eventuially try and work my way to doing a few off road sections with someone else as well. I don't think I will ever be comfortable going out on my own in the dark with just the head torch but you never know. </div>
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My main goal is to get to the point where I am comfortable in the pitch black with just the head torches for guidance so that me and Sarah can do a few longer runs in the desert before pitching up for the night. </div>
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In the end we ran 47 miles which considering the furthest I had run prior to this was 35 miles I am very pleased with. <br />
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A massive thanks to <a href="http://www.ultrarunningltd.co.uk/" target="_blank">Steve Worallo</a> from Ultra running for all of your support - we know it wasn't your fault with the route and as it is its first year there are always going to be teething problems - you were so kind to have let us carry on regardless of the fact that there were only two of us <br />
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Thanks to our photographers from <a href="http://summitfever.co.uk/" target="_blank">summit fever photography</a> for also staying and taking some incredible pictures <br />
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Thanks to Ben - Sarahs husband for following us around all day and being very patient and for my wonderful husband for picking me up in March :)and bringing a nice flask of coffee and warm hoody :) <br />
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I have some exciting news to announce over the next few days with regards to sponsors and will be back tomorrow hoepfully with some of that along with details of our fundraising event coming soon :) <br />
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Thank you for sticking with me if you made it to the bottom of this post ;) <br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">you can sponsor Sarah and I at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Oceanfloor
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696546170536568010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926135165572798171.post-33573134659323544602012-10-21T10:33:00.000-07:002012-10-21T10:33:07.260-07:00Getting lost in the Fens This weekends long runs didn't go quite to plan - mainly due to the fact that on Thursday I went out to do my 90 minute run and ended up only doing 30 minutes after my left calf tightened up and was causing me to limp. <br />
Needless to say I was fed up but decided that I would try again the next day - this it turns out, wasnt a clever idea so I booked in to see Tony at the Sports injury clinic at one leisure Huntingdon for Saturday afternoon.<br />
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As much as I know sports massages help I really do hate going to see Tony. Don't get me wrong he is a lovely man and very good at what he does IT JUST BLOODY HURTS!!!!<br />
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I explained to Tony what I was training for and he said he would see if there was anything he could do to help me and Sarah out on our quest which is great :) Thanks Tony<br />
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So today not wanting the weekend to be a total training wipe out I decided to go for a little run along the last section of the route I will be following for the Hereward Ultra Marathon which I am doing with Sarah on the 1st November. <br />
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It was very very flat and quite muddy in places. I managed to get lost within the first mile of starting but re traced my steps and got back on track :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view looking back on the run</td></tr>
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I didn't do the full 12 miles I had planned on as my calf started playing up again and although I am sure I could have finished I didn't want to aggravate it any more than I needed to - I would rather do half a run now than do it all and risk having to have another week off. <br />
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This is how long the grass was on some of the sections which was a bit irritating as it is very difficult to run in <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PAVXp5G9faY/UIQvsjhM7QI/AAAAAAAAB0s/j1WEw7gkXQw/s1600/long+grass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nea="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PAVXp5G9faY/UIQvsjhM7QI/AAAAAAAAB0s/j1WEw7gkXQw/s320/long+grass.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">check out my pretty new shoes too :) </td></tr>
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I also test drove my shiny new Raid Light back pack on this run - overall I was pleased with it but it definatly needs some tweaking as the bottle in the front pack kept bouncing up and down and it was really getiing on my nerves to begin with (i got used to it after a while but I am not sure I will be so forgiving in the desert) <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jkTV8RYbyGE/UIQxvMlsOmI/AAAAAAAAB00/0QeOcRFp4C8/s1600/back+pack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nea="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jkTV8RYbyGE/UIQxvMlsOmI/AAAAAAAAB00/0QeOcRFp4C8/s1600/back+pack.jpg" /></a></div>
Another trial for today was the For Goodness Shakes Nectar fuel - it was absoloutly delicious - and I don't usually like anything but Lucozade light. <br />
The taste was very refreshing and not too overpowering. It wasn't sickly it just tasted like a really good blackcurrent squash. So thumbs up for <a href="http://www.athletestore.co.uk/" target="_blank">Nectar fuel</a>. <br />
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Myself and Sarah have some more exciting news coming up soon we have some new sponsors so watch this space to find out more. <br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">you can sponsor Sarah and I at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Oceanfloor
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696546170536568010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926135165572798171.post-7695156154998783442012-10-18T04:10:00.000-07:002012-10-18T04:10:00.907-07:00A new sponsor - Advance performanceI am pleased to announce that we have a new sponsor in the form of Advance Performance of Peterborough and Cambridge. <br />
<br />
Sam Hale owner of Advance Performance has kindly offered to give myself and Sarah a free V02 Max test which I am sure will be a massive benefit with regards to trainin efficiently in preparation for the race so THANK YOU SAM.<br />
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She will also be writing a press release or two on us which will be excellent advertising for the event and for our chosen charity MacMillan cancer support. <br />
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For those of you who have never been to advance performance - what are you waiting for !!! it is like heaven in a shop; you can find them either in Peterborough or Cambridge - store addresses and opening times are shown below and for those who don't live nearby they also have a website which I have linked below so get shopping. <br />
<br />
<strong><em>4 Titan Drive, Fengate East, Fengate, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE1 5XG</em></strong><br />
<br /><strong>Telephone</strong>: - 01733 891111<br />
<strong>Opening Hours</strong><br />
Mon, Tue 10-7, Wed 10 - 6, Thur 10-8,<br />
Fri 10-6, Sat 9 - 6 (Closed Sun & Bank Holidays)<br />
<br /><strong>Store Facilities:</strong><br />
Our famous <a href="http://www.advanceperformance.co.uk/gait-analysis.php">gait analysis</a> service for finding your <a href="https://secure.advanceperformance.co.uk/acatalog/Running_Shoes.html" target="_blank">running shoes</a>, a wide selection of <a href="https://secure.advanceperformance.co.uk/acatalog/Running_Clothing.html" target="_blank">running clothing</a> and <a href="https://secure.advanceperformance.co.uk/acatalog/Accessories.html" target="_blank">accessories</a>, sports science testing and as the <a href="http://www.triathloncentre.co.uk/">Triathlon Centre</a> we have <a href="https://secure.advanceperformance.co.uk/acatalog/Swimming_and_Triathlon.html">swimming and triathlon</a> products including <a href="http://www.advanceperformance.co.uk/wetsuit-testing.php">wetsuit testing</a> plus our friends at <a href="http://www.greenwheelcycles.co.uk/" target="_blank">Greenwheel Cycles</a> are right next door for cycles and bike-fit service. We also have an in-store sports injury support from <a href="http://www.sport-injuries.co.uk/" target="_blank">One Step Sports Therapy</a>. <br />
<br />
<br />
<strong><em>Gusto Mills, Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL</em></strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Telephone: </strong>01223 279191<br />
<strong>Opening Hours</strong><br />
Tue, Wed, Thur, Fri 10-7, Sat 9-6,<br />
Sun 10-4 (Closed Mon & Bank Holidays)<br />
<br /><strong>Store Facilities</strong> - Our Cambridge store offers our famous <a href="http://www.advanceperformance.co.uk/gait-analysis.php">gait analysis service</a> for finding your <a href="https://secure.advanceperformance.co.uk/acatalog/Running_Shoes.html" target="_blank">running shoes</a>, plus a wide selection of <a href="https://secure.advanceperformance.co.uk/acatalog/Running_Clothing.html" target="_blank">running clothing</a> and <a href="https://secure.advanceperformance.co.uk/acatalog/Accessories.html" target="_blank">accessories</a>. As the <a href="http://www.triathloncentre.co.uk/">Triathlon Centre</a> we have <a href="https://secure.advanceperformance.co.uk/acatalog/Swimming_and_Triathlon.html">swimming and triathlon</a> products, cycles and bike-fit service from <a href="http://www.greenwheelcycles.co.uk/" target="_blank">Greenwheel Cycles</a>. We also offer in-store physio support from <a href="http://www.core-cambridge.com/" target="_blank">Core Cambridge</a>.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" nea="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xcHUWgPfuOs/UH8TW3MDa5I/AAAAAAAABw4/8v1xhxd_hhA/s1600/advanced+performance.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.advanceperformance.co.uk/index.php" target="_blank">Website</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">you can sponsor Sarah and I at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Oceanfloor
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696546170536568010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926135165572798171.post-77365301930752526582012-10-17T13:18:00.002-07:002012-10-17T13:18:28.605-07:00Exciting news Well I have been very busy since my last post contacting companies for sponsorship, working, training and planning :) <br />
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I took part in the great Eastern run this weekend and was very pleased only a week after my first Ultra to come home with a PB of 2:09 - I know I could have pushed harder on this one as well but I managed to get a stitch which wouldn't shift for the last 2 miles grrrrrrr<br />
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We have also had some more good news this week </div>
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For Goodness shakes agreed to help us out by supplying us with sports drinks and recovery drinks for our training. It was like Christmas when I got home yesterday to find this lot in my living room :) </div>
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INCREDIBLE !!!!! I did my workout this morning and afterwards had one of the vanilla shakes with water it was absoloutly delicious. I can now look forward to my recovery shake after my workouts. Along with the powdered shakes that mix with water they also sent us some of the milkshakes in superberry flavour so I am looking forward to trying one of those after tomorrow nights run. <br />
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If any one is interested to try out the products for themselves you can find them <a href="http://www.athletestore.co.uk/" target="_blank">HERE</a> and the best thing - they aren't going to be putting their prices up when the VAT goes on to sports drinks - they have infact decided to REDUCE their prices !!!!<br />
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I will keep you updated on how I get on with the different products - I am especially looking forward to trying out the nectar fuel as I have heard great things about this. <br />
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We have more exciting news coming up soon so keep an eye out over the next few days <br />
<div class="blogger-post-footer">you can sponsor Sarah and I at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Oceanfloor
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696546170536568010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926135165572798171.post-70846720325754228492012-10-11T02:13:00.001-07:002012-10-11T02:52:09.260-07:00The journey begins<h3 style="text-align: center;" title="newsletter copy222">
<span style="color: #ccffcc;"><em><span style="color: #999999;">Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.</span></em></span></h3>
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<span style="color: #ccffcc;"><span style="color: #999999;">Mark Twain (1835 – 1910)</span></span></h2>
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<span style="color: #ccffcc;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">And that is how this all began! </span></span></h2>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-size: small;">I was sat in the Wetherspoons restauarant they morning after my first ever Ultra Marathon. After having spent the first 10 minutes following the race revelling in my ultra running glory and squeeling with delight along with the others, and the remaining 4 hours promising myself I would NEVER do this again. </span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></h2>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-size: small;">So it was a bit of a shock when I was browsing facebook whilst waiting for Breakfast to arrive and I saw that I had won the FAT FEET competition online to not only gain free entry for myself and a friend to the Grimsthorpe Ultra marathon in August but also two £700 discounts to enter the Ocean Floor race. </span></h2>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-size: small;">Now I had entered never really expecting to win - so many people had entered the competion i felt sure that with my luck there was no way on earth I would get it - so I hadn't even told my husband. </span></h2>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-size: small;">How does one tell their husband that even though they have already spent a fortune on running this year and even though I promised to spend no where near as much next year - that pretty please could I have £900 to enter this incredible race and I promise to be a good girl and never ask for anything ever again pretty pretty please.</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-size: small;">LUCKILY I have a very understanding and wonderfully supportive husband and after some discussion and my promise to raise as much funding as I could I emailed the organiser to say I would like to accept and that I would like to take along my running friend Sarah Gardner Hall as my second person. </span></h2>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-size: small;">With deposits paid the training must commence. Along with the fundraising not only for the trip costs but also for the charity we are running for - MacMillan Cancer Support. </span></h2>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-size: small;">We are very lucky in that Sarah is already sponsored by Buff (you can follow the link to their shop by clicking on the image at the top of this page) and they have very kindly agreed to send us over some kit for the run. </span></h2>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U1KJfFnyUGE/UHaNQPqQtNI/AAAAAAAABwI/FY1z_gDTGQI/s1600/buff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><img border="0" height="200" nea="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U1KJfFnyUGE/UHaNQPqQtNI/AAAAAAAABwI/FY1z_gDTGQI/s200/buff.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">We are also going to have our story written about on the Running Free Magazine facebook and twitter pages.</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.runningfreemag.co.uk/"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">http://www.runningfreemag.co.uk/</span></a><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"> </span></span></h2>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-size: small;">Talk Ultra are going to be interviewing us for the December Podcast </span></h2>
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<a href="http://www.marathontalk.com/archive/talk_ultra.php"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">http://www.marathontalk.com/archive/talk_ultra.php</span></a></h2>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">and we have been sponsored £50 by Mick Hall Photos - we will be displaying their logo on our running tops for the event and in training so if you want to have your logo on here as well please get in touch. </span><a href="http://www.mickhall-photos.com/mp_includes/pages.asp?id=2883" target="_blank"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">http://www.mickhall-photos.<wbr></wbr>com/mp_includes/pages.asp?id=<wbr></wbr>2883</span></a></span></h2>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3; font-size: small;">Thats all for now. I will be back soon with more updates. I have the Great Eastern Half Marathon this Sunday and training will officially commence on Monday Next week. </span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"> </span></h2>
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<a href="http://www.fat-feet.co.uk/running-events/"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">http://www.fat-feet.co.uk/running-events/</span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #ccffcc;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"></span></span> </h2>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">you can sponsor Sarah and I at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Oceanfloor
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04696546170536568010noreply@blogger.com1