Marathon Bucket List

I'm a dreamer. 

On a daily basis I will come up with a new occupation I'd like to try, or a new destination that needs visiting. These days those destinations are more often than not places that hold marathons and the list is getting pretty long. It drives my family crazy..

In the hope of giving my family a break, here's a little post of my 'Running Bucket List'; The current top 10 races I'd love to conquer. Let me know if any of these are top of your list, or if you can think of any I should add! 

10. London Marathon

I'll be 100% honest here and say that I don't fully agree with some aspects of the London Marathon and think that it's a little overrated.. but it's still a race that I'd like to say I've run. Pounding the streets of London with epic crowds would be an awesome experience, but I'll be waiting for my ballot place to come through (in 10 years maybe!) or aim to get a Good For Age place. 

9. Tokyo Marathon

The five other Marathon Majors are on this list, so I'd love to make the set and do all six (apparently you get a certificate too!). Tokyo would be awesome.. because y'know.. Japan. It's a great country and very culturally different from the UK so I feel like running a marathon there would be a real experience.

8. Boston Marathon

Boston is definitely a dream for me, as the qualifying time is a lot faster than my current PB. Nothing is impossible though.. 

7. Berlin Marathon

We all know that the current world record was run in Berlin, and simply for that reason I would like to have a go at this one. If I've ever got a chance of breaking 4 hours for a marathon, it will be here!

6. Chicago Marathon

I was actually lucky enough to be accepted for the Chicago Marathon in 2015 with a friend, but unfortunately when it came down to it, it all got a little too expensive and would have broken the bank. This is still up there on the to-do list though and looks like a marathon with a really fun vibe.

5. Uganda Marathon

In 2015, the first Uganda International Marathon was held in Masaka. By entering, you sign up to a week in Uganda beforehand helping out with charity projects in villages nearby. I followed the journey of many runners last year and was so inspired by the unique nature of this race and the experience you are given in the week that you're over there. I would absolutely LOVE to make this trip of a lifetime and have it on my radar for 2017.

4. The Great Wall Marathon

Now this marathon is cool. Tipped as one of the most challenging marathons in the world, the Great Wall Marathon does what it says on the tin and takes you up, down and along the Great Wall of China, as well as through nearby villages. Like the Uganda Marathon, a package trip is offered for a week and looks like really good fun. 

3. Los Angeles Marathon

The idea of seeing more of LA than Disneyland excites me massively (sorry Mickey!). I feel like the LA Marathon 'stadium to sea' course is an awesome way to see parts of the city that are usually packed with traffic. It could be a very good way to kick off a two week LA break?! 

2. New York City Marathon

Watching the NYC Marathon on TV is pretty much an annual event for me. Each year I'll sit there, inspired and determined that next year I'll be there. It hasn't happened yet, but it won't be long!

1. Kauai Marathon, Hawaii

Hawaii is somewhere I have always wanted to visit but never had the chance, and I feel like the Kauai Marathon would make a very good excuse. From what I've read there are serious hills and the temperatures are ridiculous, but it looks stunning and this is absolutely number one on my list right now. 

Event Review | Brighton Half Marathon 2015

Brighton. 

What do you think of? 

Sea. Sunshine. Fun fair. Pebble beach. 

Running?!

I'll admit, running was never something that I would immediately associate with Brighton. Before November I had no clue that Brighton even held an annual half and full marathon. I did know however that it was a place that I would love to visit, so when I found out that the Brighton Half Marathon falls in February - perfect timing when training for an April Marathon - I had to get involved.

When I attempted to enter in November, all of the standard entries were full, with only a limited number of charity places available. 2015 marks the 25th anniversary of the event, so it was set to be pretty special and a lot of people knew that! Although frustrating, this made me want to conquer Brighton even more. I eventually made the decision to run as part of Team Shelter and pledged £200 for the charity to guarantee myself a place. This decision was largely weighted by the fact that the company I work for support Shelter in a big way and will match the first £100 of any money raised for the charity.

Accommodation for the weekend was readily available when I first looked, but prices were rising fast and rooms filling up. I found that many places hiked the prices to take advantage of the influx of visitors, so decided on the Seafront Travelodge. I'm sure there were plenty of great hotels around, but I figured that you know what to expect with a Travelodge and this one was less than a mile from the start line for under £100.

My training for the event basically consisted of my Paris Marathon training plan, with a bit more concentration on speed to peak for the race. Had I not been racing my long run would have been a half marathon distance anyway, so it made sense to pop to Brighton and get a medal for it!

The long range forecast predicted the weather to be dreary for race day, with heavy rain and high winds, but in true race day miracle fashion, the morning of Sunday 22nd February was glorious! Although slightly windy (totally acceptable in a seaside town), the sun was shining and the rain stayed away. 

I made it to the start line for just after 8am. The path to the race village narrowed significantly which meant for a big build up of competitors and spectators and very little signposting as to where the pens were for each wave. This was a little confusing, but everyone sorted themselves out eventually.

The race overall was truly stunning. Having grown up near the beach (in New Zealand) it was refreshing to take on 13.1 miles (almost) entirely along the seafront. There were 12,500 runners entered, but the streets were wide enough and the marshalling for the course really great which makes a big difference to your race experience. I barely ever felt like I was trying to dodge through people to keep my pace, which made for a really enjoyable run.

My initial pace was quick, with the first few miles averaging approx. 8mins 15secs. I was a little worried that I had headed off too fast, but the adrenaline was pumping and I really felt great, so I just went with it. Team Shelter were positioned at mile 7 (which was also mile 12) and it was the best feeling to run past wearing their vest and having them cheer me on. Running for charity can feel so rewarding and makes the day that extra bit special. 

As the course loops back on itself, we were able to see the elite runners coming through towards the finish. These runners are absolutely incredible and I have so much respect for them. Paul Martelletti crossed the finish line first (and may I just mention he also has an awesome beard- check it out!).

I loved every minute of the run and finished in 1 hour 46 minutes and 36 seconds - a personal best for me by over 10 minutes! I'm still in shock at how much I smashed it by.

After the race Shelter offered their runners massages and refreshments in their charity tent, which was perfection! It made such a difference to have my muscles looked after and I felt pretty fresh the next day for it.

Overall, this race was my favourite half marathon to date. It was so well organised with water stations well set up, marshals being really helpful, great weather, a beautiful setting and a really cool medal (yep, that makes a difference!). Brighton was a great host for the weekend and I can't wait to go back.. maybe even for the full marathon next year?!

If you would like to check out my VLOG of my weekend in Brighton (including race footage!) then take a look below. I'm planning to vlog all of my upcoming races (Paris Marathon, Hackney Half, London 10000 to name a few), so pop over to my YouTube page www.youtube.com/themarathonharry and click subscribe to come along with me!

Finally, I would like to send a big THANK YOU to Shelter for all of the support on race day and all of the work that you do. It was a real honour to run for such a great charity and so much fun too! 

Birmingham Half Marathon Preparations!

It's the day before the Birmingham Half Marathon and last minute preparations are in full swing! I'm super excited to be running this race for the second consecutive year.

My check list for today is looking a little something like this: