I DID IT!!!!!

I completed the Great South Run!

Ten miles, no walking, no having to stop for road crossings, just ten miles of uninterrupted running.... apart from having to pick my way through the hoards of other runners on the course!

It was a good run though, I started off with no expectations regarding time although I think I'd have been disappointed to be over 1h 45m if I'm honest.

I set off at a speed of 9.25/mile which felt comfortable. I was aiming for ten minute miles so I was wary of setting off too fast and burning out, but it felt good so I went with it. By 5 miles I was down to an average time of 9.11/mile and still feeling comfortable. Then I started to think that maybe I had a chance of a sub 1h 30m total so I decided to speed up a little. Bit by bit my average speed dropped, at mile 8 my watch was showing 8.58/mile so I sped up a bit more to give myself a bit of a margin.... having done so much by then I'd have hated to have got 1h 30m 02s or something like that. As I crossed the line my watch said 8.48/mile, however it also said I'd done 10.16 miles so I'd obviously created some extra distance dodging in and out of people and swinging wide on the corners to keep out the crowds. My final official time in the end was:

1 hour 29 minutes 26 seconds!!!

So, I was very happy with that, and am now thinking I might go for a half marathon in the spring!

Shameless plug for a friend...

Anna used to work with me many years ago. Since getting married and having children she has set up Crafty Cooks, a franchise teaching children to cook from a very young age. Learning about food and how to cook it helps young children to try new foods and to develop a more varied taste, hopefully preventing them from becoming fussy eaters. It can also help children who are already fussy eaters to be brave and try new things.

Crafty cooks runs a range of classes for children of varying ages. They also do one off sessions in school holidays and cookery parties for birthdays or any other occasion. There are even adult classes too!

And if you are interested in setting up a franchise of your own, please give Anna a call. I'm sure she'll be delighted to hear from you.

Check out Anna's website and blog, You can follow Crafty Cooks on Facebook and Twitter @craftycooks too!

http://craftycooks.wordpress.com/
http://www.craftycooks.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/craftycooks

Updates:

My friend has moved on, I am alone again *sob*. Her house purchase went through as planned so she's now back in her own home. Whilst I enjoyed having her here, I do think we got on so well because we are both quite laid back and got on with our own thing, leaving the other alone to do their own thing too. I don't think it would be as good with any one else, especially a stranger, so I won't be looking for a lodger any time soon!

I'm running the Great South Run next weekend! It's ten miles, I have done ten miles twice now so I'm pretty confident about the distance. Time-wise I'm just going to see what feels comfortable on the day. I'd love to do the whole thing in ten minute miles but I'm not going to be upset if I don't. Having said that, I did seven miles in 9.03 minute miles on Thursday so who knows? Anything is possible, but I'm not going to push myself too hard, I want to enjoy the occasion and see the sights of Portsmouth as I gently jog past... Ten miles is my biggest distance so far, so I'm starting to think about aiming for a half marathon in the spring. It suddenly feels more achievable than it did before!