I shared a post on my Instagram account at the weekend with the quote ‘Life is art, live yours in colour’ with this picture:

I spent Sunday morning at Penhurst Place for the Run or Dye event with my family and had an absolute blast!

The Run or Dye event is a fun run inspired by the ancient Hindu festival of Holi, known as the Festival of Colours.  All participants are given a bag with a white tshirt, face tattoo and packet of brightly coloured dye.  The dye used is 100% safe and made out of coloured cornstarch so completely natural and causes no harm to the skin or environment and is designed to wash out of clothes and hair – my sons girlfriend wore a white pair of trainers that actually look rather funky now and so does the baseball hat my son wore – almost don’t want to wash them!

The idea of wearing a white tshirt is to really show up all the colours of the dye.  There are three distances on offer from 1km, 3.5km and 5km so really something for everyone in terms of ability and no pressure for times with fun being the key element.  The event also supports the Kiss It Better appeal, which was started by Carmel Allen, whose daughter, Josephine, was treated at Great Ormond Street Hospital for neuroblastoma.  The money raised by Kiss it Better goes towards paediatric cancer research at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

I was signed up with my husband, son and his girlfriend and it was really nice to get out to an event that would be suitable for all of us together.  There is such a family feel to it and I am not sure in some cases who was more excited – the children or the adults!

There was a lot going on at the start with a rock choir, competitions, dance off’s, music and dancing, warm ups and lots of dye being thrown around.  There are food and drink stalls not only for those taking part but also those who were there to cheer people on.  Once in the start funnel there was more music, Mexican waves and more dye being thrown around so everyone was in a totally party mood and smiles all round right from the outset.

Penhurst Place is stunning and having attending the venues that Castle Triathlon use for their triathlons and Commando Series obstacle run I must say that I am always certain wherever an event is from these guys you are guaranteed a gorgeous venue so I knew this would be the same and it didn’t disappoint!

I also knew that it was fairly certain to be hilly and it was and in the heat it was tough!  Seeing the foam station was so welcome and completely refreshing too – I am sure a lot of us spent a few more minutes in there than entirely necessary but it was so good.

There are dye stations at 5 intervals throughout the run and so you get covered in the dye more and more as you run and it just adds to the fun.

It is such a family orientated event and so good to see so many kids, parents and whole families taking part.  It is rare that I do an event with my husband but even more so with my son and his girlfriend and so finishing together was great!  We were all covered in different coloured dye and the party atmosphere continued at the finish with games involving the crowd and you guessed it – more dye!

My race entry was complimentary, but all opinions are my own.

Last week I did no running!  Like many others the snow played havoc with my training and I was in the gym when I could instead, which is fine but perhaps not the best preparation for a half marathon but having injuries I was worried about running and slipping over.

I had seen posts as the week went on for many local events that were being cancelled due to the weather and I was unsure as to whether or not the half marathon I had signed up for on Sunday would go ahead or not but was assuming it would.  Being a major event in London I assumed cancellation would be an absolute last resort.  Thankfully the snow in London had all cleared by Saturday morning and the event staff had worked to ensure the roads were clear and safe so the first Big Half event was a go!

The Big Half was a new event and is half marathon distance that you could complete by yourself or as part of a relay.  There was also a Little Half aimed at children and families, however, due to the weather this part of the event was cancelled.

If you have taken part in either the London Marathon or Prudential Ride London the set up is extremely similar as it is put on by the same company, London Marathon Events.  Race numbers, kit bag and timing chip was sent in the post in advance of the event and final instructions were sent to all by email.  The instructions were really comprehensive and even covered all the train disruptions that could make a difference to participants getting to the start.  There were of course a number of people who could not make it to the start as planned as various areas of the UK were affected worse than others but the event have offered a virtual alternative where you can run the distance, send the proof and your medal will be sent to you – not quite the same as the event itself but a nice touch I thought.

The start was really convenient for me to get to with two areas, orange and green, to drop off kit bags, find your start pens and of course those last minute toilet visits!  There were various waves being set off over a 35 minute period so by the time we were off we were pretty cold as it was more than chilly!  But the wait gave me time to share some of my Go Bites with some fellow runners and explain what they are and why I was using them.  I adopted the same approach regarding nutrition as I had last week and so I was well and truly powered by the bites from Go Faster Food!

I was running with my friend Laura who is 16 weeks pregnant and was just amazing.  Her t-shirt had her name on it and so whenever anyone shouted out to her I would reply back with ‘and her baby’, whilst playing mum and telling her to run on the pavement on certain sections and not the cobbles as they were slippery.

The event itself looped from Tower Bridge to Billingsgate Market (via the Limehouse Link which was so much warmer and saw many people getting rid of layers as they went) and back over the bridge for the first 7 miles and then through Wapping, Southwark and finishing in Greenwich.  There were mile markers, plenty of toilets on route, plenty of water stops and plenty of support including music along the way.

The medal was fab and totally different from any other medal I have received from an event – a little running man, great goody bag including a finishers technical t-shirt.

After a short walk to bag collection we were in a festival area in Greenwich Park with music and food stalls.

This will definitely be on my list for next year and I would recommend it to others also – great event especially for their first!

I really enjoyed it – yes you read that right I really enjoyed running over 13 miles!

On Sunday I headed back to Thorpe Park to complete the half marathon – I had done this event last year and signed up for round two.  Last year I was running with a friend and this year I had a friend running with me.

The course is advertised as flat and fast though last year I, and many others, were surprised at the elevation – nothing that would kill you but enough to notice it on the legs for sure.

I was going into this event with the mentality that I was there just to get the miles in and complete it.  I have said before running is not something that I find easy though have been enjoying it a lot more during my training as I had to follow a sort of couch to 10k plan following a knee injury.  That was fine until I completed my 10k and then increased to 10 miles a week before this event.  I found that since that 10 mile run I have had an issue with my foot that I was, if I am totally honest, hoping would go away of its own free will.  It feels like I have stepped on a piece of lego and its badly bruised and with every step I can feel it pushing the bruise.  Only there is no bruise (I have since found out I have plantar fasciitis so that would explain it!).  So with my knee and foot taped up with rock tape off I set with my friend Emma.

Knowing this would not be my easiest run I had made sure my prep and nutrition was on point and took full advantage of the recipes and nutrition from Go Faster Food that I am trialling and my friend Emma who is a PT and qualified nutritionist.  The day before I used the porridge recipe, made sure I was fully hydrated and used a pasta recipe for dinner.  Emma and I also spent almost an hour at the gym on the power plate, stretching and foam rolling (my god foam rolling is not pleasant *or insert any other word more appropriate*).  The morning of the event I had porridge again – I always feel like eating pre-event is a struggle as it feels like you get up and have to force down food before travelling to the start.  I was armed with my go bites and opted to have the boost just before the start, refuel at 6 miles and the recover post run and it worked a treat!

As I noted last year the name of this event is deceiving as the only part of it that is linked with Thorpe Park is the start and finish which is in the car park for the theme park.  Although as you run out and back you do go through a rather pot hole filled area of land which has some old rides – it almost looks like a ride graveyard.  It is where the rides go to die, which was quite apt as this is just before the 13 mile mark and at that point most people are tired – I was tempted to go sit on one for a while!

At the start we needed the obligatory nervous run to the toilet before we started though it seemed like every other participant also had the same plan.  This is always a hard point for any event as there never seem to be enough toilets.  Many people were opting for the nearby bushes, which I am not ashamed to say after almost 30 minutes waiting and barely moving we also opted for – dry robes come in very handy for this!  There was no way I could have started to run without that little visit to the bush.

As we had waited for the toilet for so long we had totally missed the start but this was ok as it was chip timed so we just dumped our stuff in the car, including dry robes, which was sad as it was so cold and I don’t think either of us really wanted to take them off (man it was fresh!), and then headed to the start.  We were off!

Now I am usually optimistic and a total realist.  I knew I was injured and I knew this would not be easy but I was there and I was doing it.  I am also always super appreciative of marshalls at events like this – I have marshalled many times myself and it is a long day especially in the temperatures we had yesterday BUT the lovely marshall at about 200 metres in that was shouting words of encouragement well I am not sure that ‘well done, you’re doing really well, not long left’ was quite appropriate though it did give me and Emma a laugh.  Not long left?  We have about 13 miles left and that, in my book, is quite a long way!

There was music on route with different bands live on the course which was nice.  Lots of switch backs where runners were offering each other encouragement and gave me the opportunity to see some club mates from Havering Tri.  I also saw a friend, Kate, from bootcamp who was using this as her training run for Paris marathon and she did amazing!

We managed to get to 8 miles where thankfully there was a toilet – maybe more toilets on the route would have been better as these were the first we saw and I was desperate at his point!  You have never seen someone so grateful to see a portaloo as me at that moment!  So a quick stop – I say quick but according to my watch it was almost 5 minutes as I struggled with compression leggings that had got caught up with my race number belt and my running belt – it was like getting out of a sweaty sports bra after a spin class and in the process I managed to slightly cut both my sides with one of the belts!  Anyway I felt way more comfortable after that and off we set again.  There were some slight inclines before some down hills, which would have been nicer if one was not right next to a sewage plant.

Emma was totally positive at this point saying nearly 10 miles done and only a 5k to go.  My foot was killing me and 5k seemed like an eternity so I was pretty grumpy especially as I knew there was a killer hill around the corner.  So imagine my excitement when I saw runners looping round in front of a pub and back, which meant NO KILLER HILL!!  I got so excited and grabbed Emma exclaiming ‘they’ve cut the hill!’ – it was like Christmas had come early – almost as joyous as the moment I saw the portaloo!  But not that early as there were still 3 miles left.  Some more of my Go Bites were eaten at this point – I also gave this nutrition to Emma so we were both trialling it on this run and it was good as she is vegetarian so often lots of gels etc are ruled out for her but not these!

The first 5k was completed in 29 minutes and considering my PB for that distance is just under 28 minutes I knew we had gone off too quickly but the last 5k couldn’t have been more different.  It was a total mental battle for me and stop start and my face in the photos compared to the start is quite frankly hilarious.  I seem to have a look that is a total mixture of ‘ooh look a camera must smile’ and confusion as to what I am doing there in the first place!

But we completed it and in a time of 2 hours 25 minutes and I am actually super chuffed with that!  My PB is 2 hours 20 minutes and I am nowhere near as run fit and have two injuries and so that was a great result for me!  Totally grateful to my friend Emma for running with me even though I told her on several occasions to run on – towards the end when I was being really grumpy I said my foot hurts and started walking and annoyed myself so much I said I wanted to give myself either a slap or a punch in the face and then told her to save herself and go on ahead.  I mean one thing is true – I may have a love/hate relationship with running but I try and I will continue to joke even if I am a tad dramatic!

We finished our day with my husband and a friend who had also completed a half marathon in Roding Valley with a huge roast dinner, once we had defrosted, that we all absolutely earned!

If you are looking to fuel naturally as opposed to using gels I would absolutely recommend you check out Go Faster Food, both the Go Bites and also the recipe book – I will be taking the Go Bites with me on a trip to La Santa for a training camp week with Havering Tri and sharing with some of the other members whilst we train.

Yesterday was World Cancer Day and it was appropriate that it also happened to be the Winter Run 10k in London.

This was the fourth year for this event and each year it has grown in popularity with a record number of 20,000 people participating to raise money and awareness for Cancer Research.  I have been extremely lucky to be invited by Human Race as an ambassador to take part and it is always a very easy yes to get involved.  I love this event, it is great fun, for a wonderful cause and completely inclusive with so many people of different abilities.

There are some sad statistics relating to cancer as follows:

• 1 in 2 people in the UK born after 1960 will be diagnosed with some form of cancer during their lifetime.
• 4 in 10 (42%) of cancer cases in the UK each year are linked to lifestyle factors.

So it is no surprise that when, at the start of the event, the question to raise your hand if you have been or know someone that has been affected by cancer saw most of the crowd with their hands in the air.  With the race numbers you receive a piece of paper to note down if you are taking part in the event for someone in particular and there are so many messages and names pinned to tshirts and jackets on the course.

One of the tips I recently received from Tom Craggs (one of the UK’s most in demand running coaches and Head Coach at Polar) was about the power within yourself (centering) and the benefits of having a transcendent motivation such as dedicating each mile to someone and so on days like yesterday I have seen comments from people that found having that motivation helped them get through a distance they had maybe not covered previously or achieve a PB they were aiming for.

I have mentioned (ok maybe moaned a little) about an injury to my knee and part of my physio was a couch to 10k type of run/walk plan to assist with other strength exercises and rehab the knee back to full strength with this event being the first in my training post injury.  This was going great until I cycled a hill a week ago that did not agree with my knee and I have been suffering since.  I would absolutely be taking part in the event but would not be striving to beat any previous records in any way as that would be pretty stupid and I didn’t want to make it worse – though I did make sure I would be taking part with rock tape in keeping with the colour theme of the event (ha!).

So I was really pleased to be able to run with a friend from my triathlon club, Havering Tri, who had not run further than 5k before.  Most of the people I know run faster than me so it is rare I am able to help someone in this discipline!

There were four of us from our tri club taking part and we split into two with my husband pacing a friend, Layla, to an awesome PB and me running with Dave for his longest run to date and by default also a PB!

And we all loved it!  We high fived all the animals – penguins, yetis, huskies and polar bears.  We sang with the choirs on route.  We smiled and said hi to people we knew on course, even took some photos and we had a brilliant time.  Dave was amazing and completed in an awesome time and it was an absolute pleasure to run with him.  I even got a bit of a commentary finding out the London hotel where his parents spent their honeymoon 60 years ago, where he got a wedding suit and a good place he’d been for coffee.

At the end of the event we were given coconut water, water, soreen and some yummy Optimum Nutrition bars and protein shakes, which went down a treat post run.  I even had a chance to have a photo with the official 2018 ambassador of the event, Olympic gold medalist, Amy Williams (who is just lovely by the way).

The atmosphere at this event is one of the best I’ve ever experienced and the volunteers are so positive and encouraging you can’t help but smile and enjoy it.

My social media was full of posts from those who took part in this event – smiles all round and lots of positive reviews that I completely agree with.

Did you take part?  If so well done and I hope you had just as good a time as I did.

If you are interested for next year you can secure priority at www.londonwinterrun.co.uk and there is also still time to donate to the fundraising campaign to support the work of Cancer Research UK here.

My race entry was complimentary, but all opinions are my own.