Aside from all the packing madness, last weekend was really fun. Anything involving seeing good friends, eating ribs and having a solid race and long run is a big tick in my book!
So after parkrun on Saturday morning (and more packing), I met up with a good friend of mine for a catch-up and some tasty food. I told her to bring her appetite as the place we were going was not for tiny stomachs. I picked her up from the Southampton Central train station (as she was coming from Basingstoke) and we headed to Sadlers. If you’re ever in Southampton and you’re a meat-loving fan, you really must check this place out. Actually to be fair, they do a fantastic vegetarian menu as well – lots of options!
I always mean to try new things but then I know how good the ribs are at Sadlers and can’t help but stick with them. They’re honestly some of the best ribs I’ve ever had. They had two options: medium (800g) or large (1.5kg). I asked the advice of the waiter (even though I knew what I’d go for regardless) and when I told him I was a “whole chicken Nando’s kinda girl” he agreed that ordering the large would be best. And I’m so glad I did (though I am slightly wondering if they were indeed 1.5kg worth of ribs…I remember last time ordering the ribs and really struggling whereas this time I was fine). The cornbread was really good for mopping up the BBQ sauce but the chips got left behind. No room at the inn!
My friend ordered the St. Elmo’s Fire, which was super spicy. She’s literally the spice queen (she’s been known to send plates back when they’ve not been spicy enough and asked for more chili!) and she said it was good.
We then decided that pudding was in order. Luckily our pudding of choice was a mile’s walk away, which gave our stomach’s a bit of time to recover. Because we definitely needed to make space for a trip to Sprinkles Gelato! The last time I went to Sprinkles I’d had major food envy as I’d made a poor choice on what to have. this time I knew exactly what to get: a Sticky Situation.
This was chocolate and vanilla gelato mixed with milk and white chocolate buttons, cookie dough and melted milk and white chocolate topped with cream. Oh god it was amazing. But no I didn’t manage to finish it. It was just too much sugar. I started to feel a bit sick as I got to the bottom… big chunks of chocolate and cookie dough sadly remained uneaten (I mourn this now). But it was totally worth it. I’d always prefer being defeated by a pudding than finishing it easily and wanting more (greedy person syndrome).
My friend ordered a kind of make-your-own dessert jar which included a random mix of gelato (Pina Collada, raspberry cheesecake and Ferrero Rocher! Everything she fancied basically) and a side of banana. She loved it too. And then we parted ways, full to the brim but having had a lovely afternoon. I was then fully fuelled to tackle more packing and cleaning when I got home. I didn’t need anything else to eat that day for definite!
The next morning I woke up early to head off to the Solent Half Marathon. My plan was to run three miles beforehand and then the half itself to make a total of 16 miles, which would be a good training run for the Bournemouth Marathon in a few weeks. I skipped breakfast as I was still quite full and do most of my long runs fasted anyway (well, as fasted as you can be with having eaten that much the day before) and drove to meet with four other ladies from my club to convoy together to the race. We had a nice turn out for our club and there was a very friendly atmosphere.
After collecting our bibs, my friend Kate and I headed out for our pre-race run. 
She wanted two miles while I wanted three so we ran a mile out and back and then I ran another 0.5 mile out and back to make it up. I could already feel that it was going to be a warm one.
I’ve run the Solent Half Marathon a few years ago so vaguely remembered the course being fairly undulating. As I was just planning on running it as a training run I decided to wear my Aftershokz to listen to a podcast to keep my speed under control and my mind occupied. Basically I was treating it as a long run. It’s funny because this is exactly what I did the last time I ran it too, doing three miles extra. However the marathon I was training for (my first marathon I’d signed up to – the Portsmouth Coastal) I never actually got to as I got injured.
The race is fairly low-key and the roads aren’t closed. There were a few spectators but the marshals were super friendly and happy which made up for the quieter parts. We started off and I tried not to get caught up in the beginning surge. I let my running friends zoom ahead while I found a comfortable pace and zoned out.
The race goes through some lovely countryside roads and passes through the New Forest so there’s lots of greenery to help take your mind off the boring road (it’s all on road). I was glad to have my headphones, but I was paranoid that people would be judging me or that a marshal would disqualify me. The race rules said that “in ear” headphones would lead to disqualification (and this is a race that did actually disqualify people – I remember when I ran it last time I saw them listed in the results as DQ) but the Aftershokz are out of the ear headphones as they work on bone conduction – and are UK Athletics approved. But I still worried. I hate how people judge people for using headphones, like it’s not proper running or something. But hey ho.
At one point I found myself overtaking a guy, only for him to then overtake me and then slow down, so then I’d overtake him again, and he’d overtake again… this happened like three times! It was a little frustrating. I wasn’t increasing my pace at all.
It was a very warm race so I made sure to stop at each drinks station (there were only three as it was a smaller race) and walked with my water to ensure I drank it all rather than throwing it down myself. I took a few photos – especially when we got past the coast as it was very pretty.
I decided that at mile 10 I’d switch to music and try to push the pace a bit. I was enjoying drifting in and out of the my podcast but I wanted to liven things up a bit towards the end. Unfortunately there are some nasty inclines at this point too but I luckily I had enough strength in my legs to get me through. It was really encouraging to pick people off and pass them as I sped up. It was a good way to keep myself going, “one more person” or “just that person ahead”.
It got a lot harder on the final mile, which was my fastest, but I managed to hold on until the end. What was good was that the end of the race followed my warm-up run so I knew exactly how far it was until the end so could work out what speed I could hold until the end. Very handy. I came in at exactly 1:44. I will happily take that time! We got a lovely singlet as well (female extra small woohoo!) which makes a change from a medal or a buff. The finish was great as there were people dressed as Mini Mouse and Elmo. Very fun! I made sure to get a photo of course…
It’s funny because though I ate so much the day before I was quite hungry when I finished (I actually remember feeling hungry during the race as well, which never used to happen to me!). Normally after long runs I don’t fancy food but actually recently I’m ready to eat almost straight away. I remember feeling this way after the London Marathon this year too. I guess not having had dinner or breakfast wasn’t entirely wise! But at the time I wasn’t hungry.
I practically hoovered up my porridge as soon as I got back – I was famished! And lunch wasn’t too many hours after either. The calorie balance was definitely addressed; carrot cake from my dwindling freezer stash can help that!
I’m really pleased with how the race went, but it’s given me a few thoughts on what pace I should aim for the marathon, especially if the temperature is similar. Perhaps closer to the 8.30s than the 8s per mile I think!
Do you like to eat food straight after exercising?
Do you stick with safe options you know you’ll enjoy at restaurants or branch out for a change?
Do you use headphones during runs or races?
That ice cream tower– looks amazing! You somehow always manage to find the best looking food. Congratulations on your half marathon. Looks like you ran a really solid effort in the heat, particularly since you were just using it as a training run.
Elizabeth C. recently posted…Boston Marathon Acceptance + Training Update
I have a real knack for sniffing out tasty calorific food 😉
That pudding looks immense! I have been to Sprinkles once but we had been out for dinner so we shared a little tub of ice cream- nice but not really an interesting creation!
I don’t mind people wearing headphones in races so long as they are aware of the people around them- I have been bumped into a few times, and it is frustrating, especially when you can hear the music blasting out- no idea how people can have it going that loud. For my first half I had an earbud in one ear, as I hated hearing my breathing. I ran with my brother a lot of the way so we chatted and the music was in the background, but it helped me. I packed them in my belt for the Brighton marathon in case I wanted music at the end, but I couldn’t be bothered with the faff and I was close to the sub 5 hours so I didn’t want to stop and sort them out. The bone conducting ones sound very clever but also very weird!
You did so well for the half marathon too- such a strong finish. I didn’t realise you were doing Bournemouth too- hopefully it’s a nice route by the sea (although I feel like you have maybe run it before? Or I might be imagining that?).
I tend to stick to the same thing when I go out to dinner because if I try something new and it isn’t as good it is very annoying. I tried a new salad in Bill’s a while back and I usually love a big salad but it wasn’t great- next time it was back to the usual!
Maria @ Maria runs recently posted…Thetford parkrun with the Honey Monster (I think)
The Aftershokz are fantastic. I hate not being able to hear people – especially if they’re cheering you. Plus I quite like waving and encouraging them so get more cheers and not to hear it would be rubbish. But I do still like a bit of background music or talking to keep me entertained at the quieter moments.
Wow that dessert looks insane! I usually do all my training fasted too from 6-7pm the night before, so by the time I’m finished I’m usually hungry. The only time I’m not hungry after exercise is after a marathon or ultra, appetite usually takes a day or two to appear. In the marathon I ran recently in ear headphones were banned, but absolutely loads of people were wearing them, which was a little ridiculous as there was a few road crossings and the tow path is packed with other people and bikes so you need to be really aware of whats around you.
Lauren (@poweredbypb) recently posted…Hanson’s Marathon Method: The Verdict.
Yeah I really won’t risk wearing them if they’re not allowed as I’ve seen people get DQ’ed before. Not worth it!
I have major food envy now…that dessert looks amazing! I feel like I’m missing out by living where I do…where is all the tasty food in Northamptonshire?!
Mary recently posted…The Round Norfolk Relay 2017
I’m sure there are just as nice places where you are. I do a lot of hunting on instagram haha!