Monday, October 29, 2007
Monday, October 01, 2007
Dunnit
On 30/09/2007 at 13:52, I received the following text message: "Congratulations! Michael Higgins completed BUPA Great North Run 2007 in 02:01:51. Take to the Streets and Join the Revolution www.greatactivity.org"
As Gordon Ramsay might say, 'Great North Run: done."
It was an interesting day, which began very early (woken by a housemate at 5:00am, a text at 5:30, another at 6:28 and an alarm at 6:30), and, as is customary for these sort of days, a breakfast of coffee and porridge.
The journey up was pretty uneventful (involving a chat and setting up my iPod with a decent playlist to run to (although I was certain that I'd skip through half of the songs in a frustrated manner after 10 miles). By the time we reached the Washington Services for a quick pit stop, we could see the runners beginning to appear (made obvious by the number of people in sports apparel eating bananas). We made our way on foot from the City Centre to the start of the race, pausing to collect our sports drinks and gels (more on that later), and headed to drop off our things at the baggage buses (remembering to retain aforementioned iPod, Heart Rate Monitor etc), and made our way to the start.
The start of the race was on a duel carriageway, and we were in cordoned-off sections. People were stretching, watching the preparations on the giant screen, and jettisoning various items of clothing (the odd fleece, sometimes jeans/shirt/shoes) on the central reservation. By the time we started, people (men) were already stopping to pee(!). I crossed the start line around 10 minutes after the starting pistol went off, set the HRM going and my iPod and started off. People were cheering us on from both sides, but it was funny to see people starting to walk already before the 2-mile mark. As we made our way towards the centre, the atmosphere was building as the massed runners began to chant below the bridges ("oggie oggie oggie!"). As I finished crossing the Tyne Bridge, the Red Arrows passed overhead, trailing their signature blue, white and red smoke (Guys! For me? You shouldn't have!). From this point on, the support began to thin out, as we headed further into Gateshead. After one of the water points, we began to be sprayed by the charver/chav/ned kids who picked up the discarded bottles, much to my irritation (I think running can bring out the worst in me - I began to retaliate). By this time, I decided a little pit stop of my own was necessary, so I ducked over the barrier to the strains of 'Faith' by George Michael (I was yet to enter frantic skipping mode).
What seemed like a good idea not long after the 35min mark was to eat the Carb Gel the people at Lucozade had kindly provided (amusingly, the GNR email service warned a few days before the run: "If you have not tried Lucozade Sport before it's worth doing so before race day and not for the first time during the race.
"). What I didn't realise was that it was absolutely disgusting, and that I'd want to quickly wash the taste out of my mouth. What I also hadn't reckoned on was that the next refreshment stop would be another Lucozade sport stand, and that I'd have to attempt to wash my mouth out with a similarly orange-flavoured and over sweet drink. I quickly discarded the pack and moved on. One problem around these drinks stations was that the road surface for around 20 metres afterwards was remarkably sticky (no doubt the other runners were discarding their drinks too, probably wishing there was water to drink instead).
The next few miles were pretty uneventful, the road to the coast goes up and down and up and down without much to report on, aside from a few Bupa 'Bands on the Run' drumming us on (an Elvis impersonator, a swing band, a 'Commitments' tribute act and others too). Some of the runners took full advantage of the showers provided on the route, and one kind gentleman stood on a bus stop with his garden hose for us :) At one point, the Lucozade sports drinks had their revenge - someone stepped on one and showered me and several others around with orange sludge. Nice.
One much-appreciated feature (piece of blatant publicity) was the Nike/iPod PowerSong section, which when I passed was blaring out 'Are You Gonna Be My Girl' by Jet, which was a perfect piece of motivation to get some energy. By the 10/11 mile mark, the residents of the South Shields area were out in force, handing out Mars Bars, Jaffa Cakes, bananas, orange segments, but none of the mythical pints I'd heard of! By now, people were collapsing on the side of the road (not just with injuries as before, but were receiving medical attention and oxygen). the descent to the coast was excellent, with a nice sign from the BUPA people saying 'It's the Sea! Nearly there!'. I think the trip along the seafront was possibly the hardest section, never have I seen 400 metres appear longer than between the 800 and 400 metres signs before the end. I managed somehow to hold out, despite being overtaken by Zeus and his trident! I managed a quick burst of energy before the end and crossed the line with a time of 2:12 on the clock (I had to wait for the text message for the official confirmation).
I was out of breath, feeling tired, my legs were aching, but I stumbled on nevertheless, suddenly extremely hungry (and hoping there was food in my goody bag). On a minor celebrity note, I saw Ben Fogle as I collected my t-shirt, medal, some other stuff, and some dried fruit, which I promptly devoured.
Getting a bus back to Newcastle was a disastrous affair, we ended up queuing for a long time in a queue that wasn't, and then we spent at least 1hr travelling back to the centre. We grabbed some proper food, and then got back to the car, variously in pain. We hadn't anticipated a 3hr journey to Leeds at this point, but by the time I got back a nice hot bath and a few glasses of wine were much appreciated!
All in all, I had a great day, and I raised over £300 for Mind, so it was all well worth it!
As Gordon Ramsay might say, 'Great North Run: done."
It was an interesting day, which began very early (woken by a housemate at 5:00am, a text at 5:30, another at 6:28 and an alarm at 6:30), and, as is customary for these sort of days, a breakfast of coffee and porridge.
The journey up was pretty uneventful (involving a chat and setting up my iPod with a decent playlist to run to (although I was certain that I'd skip through half of the songs in a frustrated manner after 10 miles). By the time we reached the Washington Services for a quick pit stop, we could see the runners beginning to appear (made obvious by the number of people in sports apparel eating bananas). We made our way on foot from the City Centre to the start of the race, pausing to collect our sports drinks and gels (more on that later), and headed to drop off our things at the baggage buses (remembering to retain aforementioned iPod, Heart Rate Monitor etc), and made our way to the start.
The start of the race was on a duel carriageway, and we were in cordoned-off sections. People were stretching, watching the preparations on the giant screen, and jettisoning various items of clothing (the odd fleece, sometimes jeans/shirt/shoes) on the central reservation. By the time we started, people (men) were already stopping to pee(!). I crossed the start line around 10 minutes after the starting pistol went off, set the HRM going and my iPod and started off. People were cheering us on from both sides, but it was funny to see people starting to walk already before the 2-mile mark. As we made our way towards the centre, the atmosphere was building as the massed runners began to chant below the bridges ("oggie oggie oggie!"). As I finished crossing the Tyne Bridge, the Red Arrows passed overhead, trailing their signature blue, white and red smoke (Guys! For me? You shouldn't have!). From this point on, the support began to thin out, as we headed further into Gateshead. After one of the water points, we began to be sprayed by the charver/chav/ned kids who picked up the discarded bottles, much to my irritation (I think running can bring out the worst in me - I began to retaliate). By this time, I decided a little pit stop of my own was necessary, so I ducked over the barrier to the strains of 'Faith' by George Michael (I was yet to enter frantic skipping mode).
What seemed like a good idea not long after the 35min mark was to eat the Carb Gel the people at Lucozade had kindly provided (amusingly, the GNR email service warned a few days before the run: "If you have not tried Lucozade Sport before it's worth doing so before race day and not for the first time during the race.
"). What I didn't realise was that it was absolutely disgusting, and that I'd want to quickly wash the taste out of my mouth. What I also hadn't reckoned on was that the next refreshment stop would be another Lucozade sport stand, and that I'd have to attempt to wash my mouth out with a similarly orange-flavoured and over sweet drink. I quickly discarded the pack and moved on. One problem around these drinks stations was that the road surface for around 20 metres afterwards was remarkably sticky (no doubt the other runners were discarding their drinks too, probably wishing there was water to drink instead).
The next few miles were pretty uneventful, the road to the coast goes up and down and up and down without much to report on, aside from a few Bupa 'Bands on the Run' drumming us on (an Elvis impersonator, a swing band, a 'Commitments' tribute act and others too). Some of the runners took full advantage of the showers provided on the route, and one kind gentleman stood on a bus stop with his garden hose for us :) At one point, the Lucozade sports drinks had their revenge - someone stepped on one and showered me and several others around with orange sludge. Nice.
One much-appreciated feature (piece of blatant publicity) was the Nike/iPod PowerSong section, which when I passed was blaring out 'Are You Gonna Be My Girl' by Jet, which was a perfect piece of motivation to get some energy. By the 10/11 mile mark, the residents of the South Shields area were out in force, handing out Mars Bars, Jaffa Cakes, bananas, orange segments, but none of the mythical pints I'd heard of! By now, people were collapsing on the side of the road (not just with injuries as before, but were receiving medical attention and oxygen). the descent to the coast was excellent, with a nice sign from the BUPA people saying 'It's the Sea! Nearly there!'. I think the trip along the seafront was possibly the hardest section, never have I seen 400 metres appear longer than between the 800 and 400 metres signs before the end. I managed somehow to hold out, despite being overtaken by Zeus and his trident! I managed a quick burst of energy before the end and crossed the line with a time of 2:12 on the clock (I had to wait for the text message for the official confirmation).
I was out of breath, feeling tired, my legs were aching, but I stumbled on nevertheless, suddenly extremely hungry (and hoping there was food in my goody bag). On a minor celebrity note, I saw Ben Fogle as I collected my t-shirt, medal, some other stuff, and some dried fruit, which I promptly devoured.
Getting a bus back to Newcastle was a disastrous affair, we ended up queuing for a long time in a queue that wasn't, and then we spent at least 1hr travelling back to the centre. We grabbed some proper food, and then got back to the car, variously in pain. We hadn't anticipated a 3hr journey to Leeds at this point, but by the time I got back a nice hot bath and a few glasses of wine were much appreciated!
All in all, I had a great day, and I raised over £300 for Mind, so it was all well worth it!
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Stepping up
It's been a while again since I last wrote on here, but the fundraising has been going extremely well. Mind had set a target of 50% of the sponsorship to be raised 1 month before the race, and I'm pleased to say I was at £170 of the £300 on the 31st of August :) Since then, the total has again risen to £200, so I'm hoping to smash the total!
After a surprisingly training-free week in Paris (I went with the best of intentions, but events conspired against me - looking back I could have left my running stuff here, which would have saved me a bit of weight in my case!), I'm back on the case, and looking at stepping up the training in the last few weeks before the Great North Run. Time to drink a bit less and run a bit more :)/:( It'll all help to shed a few pounds too, needless to say I'm not at 'racing weight' yet!
A few weeks of blood, sweat and tears to go, and then it's the big day. I'm unsure yet exactly where the route of the run goes, though will be looking into this soon, so I can be mentally prepared for the race. Unfortunately, these will not be roads that I am used to, unlike the Leeds 1/2, so it's a bit harder to think your way around the route!
After a surprisingly training-free week in Paris (I went with the best of intentions, but events conspired against me - looking back I could have left my running stuff here, which would have saved me a bit of weight in my case!), I'm back on the case, and looking at stepping up the training in the last few weeks before the Great North Run. Time to drink a bit less and run a bit more :)/:( It'll all help to shed a few pounds too, needless to say I'm not at 'racing weight' yet!
A few weeks of blood, sweat and tears to go, and then it's the big day. I'm unsure yet exactly where the route of the run goes, though will be looking into this soon, so I can be mentally prepared for the race. Unfortunately, these will not be roads that I am used to, unlike the Leeds 1/2, so it's a bit harder to think your way around the route!
Thursday, July 26, 2007
2 months, 4 days to go
I see from my ticker above that I have a little over 2 months until the big day. As I have currently raised a grand total of £25 (thanks Shaun), but there's still a very long way to go. I urge you all to get sponsoring - see my page at http://www.justgiving.com/mikehiggins. I need to raise £300, which sounds like a huge amount, but it really is for a great cause. Mind do great work, attempting to create a better life for everyone with experience of mental distress by:
Mental health problems can affect anyone, rich or poor, young or old, shattering the lives of those affected and the lives of the people close to them. One in four of us will experience a mental health problem at some point in our lives. Each year more than 250,000 people are admitted to psychiatric hospitals and over 4,000 people take their own lives.
Donating through justgiving is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Mind The Mental Health Charity will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.
- advancing the views, needs and ambitions of people with mental health problems
- challenging discrimination and promoting inclusion
- influencing policy through campaigning and education
- inspiring the development of quality services which reflect expressed need and diversity
- achieving equal rights through campaigning and education
Mental health problems can affect anyone, rich or poor, young or old, shattering the lives of those affected and the lives of the people close to them. One in four of us will experience a mental health problem at some point in our lives. Each year more than 250,000 people are admitted to psychiatric hospitals and over 4,000 people take their own lives.
Donating through justgiving is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Mind The Mental Health Charity will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
1 down, 1 to go
Now after a lot of build up, the Leeds 1/2 Marathon came and went. I was worried that I wouldn't manage to make it around the course, and felt very unfit, but somehow managed it. Training suffered a major setback a few weeks beforehand when Ben found out that he hadn't been offered a place, but still kindly trained with me. The importance of running parts of the course became really apparent - I tried as much as possible to include parts of the course in training routes which helped to keep me mentally prepared for the race. I also tried visualising the entire route the night before the race, so I had some idea how far I had come and how far was left to go at each point. My friend Eloise also signed up for the Leeds 1/2, and it was nice to have someone to run with, even though we lost each other within about 10 seconds of crossing the start line! You can see photos of before and after the race here.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Training...or lack of...
There have been various issues with training over the last few months, the latest of which being that I've had a cold for the past week, which has meant that I can't get out and run (yes, when your head's pounding from coughing so hard, you don't feel like lacing up the running shoes...). Hopefully this situation will be remedied by tomorrow, when I am determined to get out there and get some decent training under my belt (or under my Camelbak).
There has been a creeping realisation that the Leeds Half Marathon is approaching, which has been scaring me witless, but yesterday my pack, including my number and my timing chip, arrived. 3 weeks to get to half marathon fitness? I'm not sure I can make it. I think some serious training planning is in order. I am happy that (touch wood, and despite a cold), my general level of fitness is ok. It doesn't really help that the last route I took when out running by myself was extremely ill-advised, and nearly made me collapse with exhaustion. Ho hum! It's time to get into the right mindset and get this show on the road!
Monday, March 12, 2007
The road is long...
Well, I've finally got around to setting up my online sponsorship page (http://www.justgiving.com/mikehiggins), and see that there is now a date for the Bupa Great North Run 2007: 30 September 2007. Please tell your friends and family that the charity I'll be running for is Mind - the mental health charity, and now have a confirmed place. I've got a fundraising target of £300 to hit, and I'll need your help in doing so!
All's been fairly quiet on the training front, although last week Ben and myself managed to get out on Tuesday morning at 7 (eek!) for a short training run, the first since his disastrous leg injury. We've been keeping it fairly short and sweet so far, though I am beginning to realise that I need to be up to a decent level of fitness to take on my practice 1/2 marathon in under 2 months time! All very scary.
Next scheduled training session: tomorrow at 7am.
All's been fairly quiet on the training front, although last week Ben and myself managed to get out on Tuesday morning at 7 (eek!) for a short training run, the first since his disastrous leg injury. We've been keeping it fairly short and sweet so far, though I am beginning to realise that I need to be up to a decent level of fitness to take on my practice 1/2 marathon in under 2 months time! All very scary.
Next scheduled training session: tomorrow at 7am.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
About Mike
Hello! For those who don't know me, my name is Mike Higgins, I'm 24 years old, and I am a self-employed French-English Translator.I have been running for a little over 6 months. In August 2006, I began training with my lovely friend Jen, chanteuse and phonetician, in preparation for the Cancer Research UK 10k. You can read all about our efforts on my 10k blog. I managed to raise £167.50 for Cancer Research, which I am extremely proud of, and for which I have to thank all my lovely sponsors! Throughout the last few weeks of training, Jen was complaining of pain in her leg, which we have now learned was due to the fact that it is fractured. Nevertheless, we decided, along with some other friends, to do the Great North Run in 2007. Myself and Ben started training this week, and are hoping to build up to attempt the Leeds Half Marathon on Sunday 13 May 2007.
I am very easily swayed into training, and have a tendency to buy a lot of gadgets to help with running/training, such as shoes, gps, a heart rate monitor, a camelbak water/bum bag thing...
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